[7.] But since I have mentioned this sacrifice, I wish to say a little in reference to you who have been initiated; little in quantity, but possessing great force and profit, for it is not our own, but the words of Divine Spirit. What then is it? Many partake of this sacrifice once in the whole year, others twice; others many times. Our word then is to all; not to those only who are here, but to those also who are settled in the desert. [3130] For they partake once in the year, and often indeed at intervals of two years.
What then? which shall we approve? those [who receive] once [in the year]? those who [receive] many times? those who [receive] few times? Neither those [who receive] once, nor those [who receive] often, nor those [who receive] seldom, but those [who come] with a pure conscience, from a pure heart, with an irreproachable life. Let such draw near continually; but those who are not such, not even once. Why, you will ask? Because they receive to themselves judgment, yea and condemnation, and punishment, and vengeance. And do not wonder. For as food, nourishing by nature, if received by a person without appetite, ruins and corrupts all [the system], and becomes an occasion of disease, so surely is it also with respect to the awful mysteries. Dost thou feast at a spiritual table, a royal table, and again pollute thy mouth with mire? Dost thou anoint thyself with sweet ointment, and again fill thyself with ill savors?
Tell me, I beseech thee, when after a year thou partakest of the Communion, dost thou think that the Forty Days [3131] are sufficient for thee for the purifying of the sins of all that time? And again, when a week has passed, dost thou give thyself up to the former things? Tell me now, if when thou hast been well for forty days after a long illness, thou shouldest again give thyself up to the food which caused the sickness, hast thou not lost thy former labor too? For if natural things are changed, much more those which depend on choice. As for instance, by nature we see, and naturally we have healthy eyes; but oftentimes from a bad habit [of body] our power of vision is injured. If then natural things are changed, much more those of choice. Thou assignest forty days for the health of the soul, or perhaps not even forty, and dost thou expect to propitiate God? Tell me, art thou in sport?
These things I say, not as forbidding you the one and annual coming, but as wishing you to draw near continually.
[8.] These things have been given to the holy. This the Deacon also proclaims when he calls on the holy; [3132] even by this call searching the faults of all. For as in a flock, where many sheep indeed are in good health, but many are full of the scab, it is needful that these should be separated from the healthy; so also in the Church: since some sheep are healthy, and some diseased, by this voice he separates the one from the other, the priest [I mean] going round on all sides by this most awful cry, and calling and drawing on [3133] the holy. For it is not possible that a man should know the things of his neighbor, (for "what man," he says, "knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?"-- 1 Cor. ii. 11 ): he utters this voice after the whole sacrifice has been completed, that no person should come to the spiritual fountain carelessly and in a chance way. For in the case of the flock also (for nothing prevents us from again using the same example), the sickly ones we shut up within, and keep them in the dark, and give them different food, not permitting them to partake either of pure air, or of simple grass, or of the fountain without [the fold]. In this case then also this voice is instead of fetters.
Thou canst not say, I did not know, I was not aware that danger attends the matter.' Nay surely Paul too especially testified this. But wilt thou say, I never read it'? This is not an apology, but even an accusation. Dost thou come into the Church every day and yet art ignorant of this?
However, that thou mayest not have even this excuse to offer, for this cause, with a loud voice, with an awful cry, like some herald lifting up his hand on high, standing aloft, conspicuous to all, and after that awful silence crying out aloud, he invites some, and some he forbids, not doing this with his hand, but with his tongue more distinctly than with his hand. For that voice, falling on our ears, just like a hand, thrusts away and casts out some, and introduces and presents others.
Tell me then, I beseech [you], in the Olympic games does not the herald stand, calling out with loud and uplifted voice, saying, "Does any one accuse this man? Is he a slave? Is he a thief? Is he one of wicked manners?" And yet, those contests for prizes are not of the soul nor yet of good morals, but of strength and the body. If then where there is exercise of bodies, much examination is made about character, how much rather here, where the soul is alone the combatant. Our herald then even now stands, not holding each person by the head, and drawing him forward, but holding all together by the head within; he does not set against them other accusers, but themselves against themselves. For he says not, "Does any one accuse this man?" but what? "If any man accuse himself." For when he says, The Holy things for the holy, he means this: "If any is not holy, let him not draw near."
He does not simply say, "free from sins," but, "holy." For it is not merely freedom from sins which makes a man holy, but also the presence of the Spirit, and the wealth of good works. I do not merely wish (he says) that you should be delivered from the mire, but also that you should be bright and beautiful. For if the Babylonian King, when he made choice of the youths from the captives, chose out those who were beautiful in form, and of fair countenance: much more is it needful that we, when we stand by the royal table, should be beautiful in form, [I mean] that of the soul, having adornment of gold, our robe pure, our shoes royal, the face of our soul well-formed, the golden ornament put around it, even the girdle of truth. Let such an one as this draw near, and touch the royal cups.
But if any man clothed in rags, filthy, squalid, wish to enter in to the royal table, consider how much he will suffer, the forty days not being sufficient to wash away the offenses which have been committed in all the time. For if hell is not sufficient, although it be eternal (for therefore also it is eternal), much more this short time. For we have not shown a strong repentance, but a weak.
[9.] Eunuchs especially ought to stand by the King: by eunuchs, I mean those who are clear in their mind, having no wrinkle nor spot, lofty in mind, having the eye of the soul gentle and quick-sighted, active and sharp, not sleepy nor supine; full of much freedom, and yet far from impudence and overboldness, wakeful, healthful, neither very gloomy and downcast, nor yet dissolute and soft.
This eye we have it in our own power to create, and to make it quicksighted and beautiful. For when we direct it, not to the smoke nor to the dust (for such are all human things), but to the delicate breeze, to the light air, to things heavenly and high, and full of much calmness and purity, and of much delight, we shall speedily restore it, and shall invigorate it, as it luxuriates in such contemplation. Hast thou seen covetousness and great wealth? do not thou lift up thine eye thereto. The thing is mire, it is smoke, an evil vapor, darkness, and great distress and suffocating cares. Hast thou seen a man cultivating righteousness, content with his own, and having abundant space for recreation, having anxieties, not fixing his thoughts on things here? Set [thine eye] there, and lift [it] up on high; and thou wilt make it far the most beautiful, and more splendid, feasting it not with the flowers of the earth, but with those of virtue, with temperance, moderation, and all the rest. For nothing so troubles the eye as an evil conscience ("Mine eye," it is said, "was troubled by reason of anger"-- Ps. vi. 7 ); nothing so darkens it. Set it free from this injury, and thou wilt make it vigorous and strong, ever nourished with good hopes.
And may we all make both it and also the other energies of the soul, such as Christ desires, that being made worthy of the Head who is set over us, we may depart thither where He wishes. For He saith, "I will that where I am, they also may be with Me, that they may behold My glory." ( John xvii. 24.) Which may we all enjoy in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Ghost be glory, might, honor, now and for ever and world without end. Amen.
[3098] a ntitupa
[3099] ha pax, "once for all." [The English editor seems to have regarded ha pax as the equivalent for the more emphatic e phapax of vii. 27, ix. 12, x. 10 , both here and throughout this Homily. It seems better to retain the distinction of the Greek words.--F.G.]
[3100] or "annul."
[3101] to prosopo, "before the Face."
[3102] a ntitupa
[3103] tupoi
[3104] kateskeuastai
[3105] e mphanizetai. "He makes Himself visible," "apparent" ; so "presents Himself," or "appears in presence" : in His Human Nature.
[3106] St. Chrys. understands this passage as meaning that peace was made between things on earth and those in Heaven, between us and the Angels. See his Homily on Col. i. 20 [pp. 212 sqq. O.T.]. By introducing this subject of the Father not being inimical to us, he seems to guard against any misinterpretation of what he had said, Hom. xvi. [2].
[3107] See ver. 12
[3108] The Apostle has here stated something covertly. What this is St. Chrys. proceeds to explain.
[3109] a pokeitai, "laid up."
[3110] ha pax
[3111] hu per hapanton
[3112] ha pax
[3113] thuma kai hiereion
[3114] a nenenkein. Lit. to bring or bear up: hence to refer to or bring before a person, to present. The word is used in the Epistle to the Hebrews for "offer" as a sacrifice; vii. 27; xiii. 15. [This secondary meaning is brought out in 1 Pet. ii. 24 , ho s hamartias hemon autos anenenken en to somati autou epi to xulon, " Who bore up our sins in His body upon the cross," viz. to expiate them. It is a common word in the LXX. for offering sacrifice, both its primary and secondary meanings corresponding to those of the Hebrew word which it translates.--F.G.]
[3115] a ntirropos
[3116] [This occurs, not absolutely verbally in the "prayer of Trisagion," in St. Chrys.'s liturgy. See Dr. Neale's Liturgies of Mark, &c., p. 121, Hayes, 1859.]
[3117] ha giazo, "devote as a Sacrifice." See St. Chrys. Homily on the words, John xvii. 19.
[3118] The common editions have kat eniauton "year by year," before tais autais thusiais, as has the old translation of Mutian.; but it is omitted in the best mss.
[3119] hais ; has, "which," Ben. Sav.
[3120] a ntitupa
[3121] St. Chrys. here reverts to ch. ix. 26 , to supply an explanation of the words eis athetesin tes hamartias dia tes thusias autou pephanerotai, which he had omitted before: a thetesis is properly [ "setting aside." --F.G.] "annulling" "rendering invalid and of no effect," thence it is used for "despising," "treating as nothing worth."
[3122] o pheilousa apolabein
[3123] This is an imperfect sentence; the interpolator substitutes for the lacuna and the next sentence the following: "that it was done simply and not because of weakness. For if it were not done because of weakness, why was it done at all? For if there are no wounds, neither is there afterwards need of medicines for the patient." Mr. Field prefers leaving it as it stands without conjecturing what is omitted: only observing that the words "this is done" refer to the Levitical sacrifices continued after the completion of that on the Cross.
[3124] haute
[3125] e keine
[3126] touto ekeines tupos esti, kai haute ekeines
[3127] ton auton
[3128] to auto
[3129] poioumen, or "make."
[3130] The Eremites.
[3131] Lent; devoted to preparation for the Easter Communion.
[3132] After the Oblation was made and before the Communion the deacon proclaimed ta hagia tois hagiois, "The Holy things for the holy."