De consubstantiali

To those who have absented themselves from the assembly, and a demonstration that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, and that the things humbly said and done by him were not due to weakness of power nor to inferiority, but were done and said for various economies. From the discourse on the incomprehensible, and in sequence. Homily Seven. 1. Again horse races, and again our gathering has become smaller; rather, as long as you are present, it could never become smaller. For just as a farmer, if he sees the grain flourishing and fully ripe, does not make much account of the falling leaves, so also I now, with the fruit present to us, do not feel such pain seeing the leaves snatched away. For I do grieve over their indifference, yet the zeal of your love consoles the pain over them. For even if they ever do attend, they are not present even then, for their body is fixed here, but their mind wanders outside; while you, even if you are ever absent, are present even then, for your body is outside, but your mind is here. I would therefore have liked to direct a long discourse against them, but lest I seem to be shadow-boxing, rebuking those who are not present and do not hear, I have reserved these words for their presence, and I will attempt to lead your love to the customary meadow and sea of the divine Scriptures, by divine grace. But arise and be watchful; for in the case of those sailing, even if all are asleep, if only the helmsman is awake, there is no danger, for his sobriety and skill suffice for the ship in place of all.

Here, however, it is not so; but even if the speaker is sober a thousand times, if the hearers do not display the same wakefulness, our discourse will be drowned and lost, finding no mind to receive it. Therefore, we must be sober and vigilant; for our business is about greater things. We are not sailing for gold and silver and perishable goods, but for the life to come and the treasures in heaven; and here the paths are more numerous than those on the sea and on land. If one does not know how to cut through them with precision, he will suffer a most grievous shipwreck. All of you, then, who sail with us, display not the carelessness of passengers, but the wakefulness and concern of pilots. For they, sitting at the helm while all the rest sleep, not only watch the paths in the waters, but also look up to the sky from such a distance, as if the course of the stars guides them like a hand, steering the vessel safely. And no private person could sail the sea so fearlessly by day as they, with complete composure, in the middle of the night, when the sea appears more terrifying, calmly display their skill while awake. They watch not only the paths in the waters and the courses of the stars, but also the outflows of the winds. And so great is the wisdom of those men that often, when a more violent gust of wind falls upon them and is about to capsize the ship, by receiving it with frequent changes of the sails they skillfully dissolve the entire danger, and

having set their skill against the violent blasts of the winds, to snatch the ship from the storm. And if those who sail the sensible sea for worldly affairs keep their soul so perpetually wakeful, much more must we be so prepared; for the danger is greater if we are careless, and the security greater if we are sober. For this vessel of ours is not constructed of planks, but is glued together from the divine Scriptures; nor do stars guide it from above, but the sun of righteousness directs this voyage for us, and we sit at the helm, not awaiting the breezes of Zephyrus, but the gentle breeze of the Spirit. 2. Let us therefore be sober and examine the paths with precision; for our discourse is again concerning the glory of the Only-begotten. Previously, then, we showed that the comprehension of the essence of God surpasses, with great abundance, the wisdom of men, angels, archangels, and simply of all creation, and is known and clear only to the Only-begotten and the Holy Spirit; but now our discourse moves to another part of the contest. For we inquire whether the Son is of the same power, of the same authority, of the same essence as the Father; rather, we do not inquire, but we have found this through the grace of Christ, and we hold it securely; but we are now preparing to demonstrate this very thing to those who are shameless about these matters. I am, then, ashamed and blush, about to enter into these arguments.

For who will not laugh at us, as we attempt to construct and demonstrate things that are so evident? And what condemnation would there not be, to inquire whether the Son is consubstantial with the Father? For this is opposed not only to the Scriptures, but also to the common opinion of all men, and to the nature of things. For that the one born is consubstantial with the one who begot him, one may see not only in the case of men, but also in all animals, and in trees. How then is it not absurd that this law remains inviolate in the case of plants and men and animals, but in the case of God alone it is disturbed and overturned? However, lest we seem to insist on these things from the matters among us, come, let us demonstrate this from the Scriptures themselves, and let us set in motion the arguments concerning these things. For it is not we who are convinced, but those who disbelieve who will incur ridicule, those who resist things so evident and who look away from the truth. What evident things, they say? For if, because he is called Son, he is consubstantial with the Father, then we too can be consubstantial; for we too are called sons: "For I said," he says, "you are gods, and sons of the Most High, all of you." O the shamelessness! O the utter folly! How through everything they display their own madness! When we set in motion the discourse concerning the incomprehensible, they were contentious to claim for themselves that which belonged to the Only-begotten alone, namely, to know God as accurately as he knows himself; but now, since our discourse is concerning the glory of the Only-begotten, they are contentious to bring him down to their own lowliness, saying that we too are called sons.

And this does not at all make us consubstantial with God. You say "Son," but He is; here a word, there a reality. You say "Son," but you do not say "Only-begotten" as He does, nor do you dwell in the bosom of the Father, nor are you a radiance of the glory, nor a character of the hypostasis, nor a form of God. If, then, the former does not persuade you, let these persuade you, and many other things more numerous than these, bearing witness to that nobility of His. For when He wishes to show the unvarying nature of His essence in relation to the one who begot Him, He says, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." When He wishes to show the distinctiveness of His power, He says, "I and the Father are one." When He wishes to show the equality of His authority, He says, "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wills." When He wishes to show the identity of worship, He says, "Let all honor the Son as they honor the Father." When He wishes to show the authority in the alteration of laws, He says, "My Father works, and I work." But these men, having passed over all these things and not taking the name "Son" in its proper sense, because they themselves have been honored with the appellation of sons, bring the Son down to the same lowliness, saying, "I said, you are gods, and all sons of the Most High." Therefore, since because of the appellation "son" you claim that the Son has nothing more than you, and in this respect is not a true son, and because of the appellation "God," since He has shared the name with you, you will perhaps contend that the Father has nothing more than you; for just as you have been called son, so also you have been called god.

but just as when God is named, you do not dare to say that the name is empty there, but you confess that the Father is true God, so also in the case of the Son do not dare to bring yourself into the middle and say, "I too am called son," and because I am not of the same substance, neither ought He to be of the same substance; for all the things enumerated show that He is a true Son and of the same substance as the one who begot Him. For when it says that He is of the same form as Him and of the same character, what else does it indicate than the unchangeableness of the substance? For there is no form concerning God, nor face; but as it says these things, you say, say also the opposite. What opposite? For example, that He prays to the Father; for if He is of the same power and of the same substance and does everything from authority, why does He pray? 3. But I will not say only these things, but also all the other humble things said about Him, I will set forth with precision, having first said this, that I have many and just reasons to give for the things said humbly about Him, but you would have no other pretext to give for the lofty and glorious things than the desire to show us His own nobility. For if this were not so, there would be conflict and war in the Scriptures; for to say that just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes, and all the other things I said, and again to pray, whenever it is necessary to do this, is contradictory; but if I give the reasons, all dispute is then removed. What then are the reasons that many humble things have been said both by Him and by the apostles about Him?

The first and greatest reason, then, is that he clothed himself with flesh, and wished to convince both those then and those afterward, all of them, that it is not some shadow, nor simply a form that is seen, but the truth of nature. For if, when so many humble and human things have been said about him and by the apostles, and by him about himself, the devil still prevailed in persuading some of the wretched and miserable men to deny the word of the economy, and to dare to say that he did not take flesh, and to destroy the whole foundation of his philanthropy—if none of these things had been said, how many would not have fallen into this abyss? Do you not hear even now Marcion denying the economy, and Manichaeus, and Valentinus, and many others? For this reason he utters many human and humble things, falling short of that ineffable substance, in order to confirm the word of the economy. For the devil has earnestly striven to destroy this faith among men, knowing that if he destroys the faith in the economy, the greater part of our affairs will be lost. There is also another reason after this: the weakness of the hearers, and the fact that those who saw him for the first time then, and heard him for the first time then, were unable to receive the higher discourses of the doctrines. And that this is not conjecture, I will try to demonstrate to you from the Scriptures themselves, and to show that if ever he uttered something great and lofty and worthy of his glory—what am I saying, great and lofty and worthy of his glory?—if ever he said something beyond human nature,

They were in an uproar and took offense; but if ever he said something lowly and human, they ran to him and accepted the word. And where can this be seen? he says. Especially in John; for when he said, "Abraham, your father, rejoiced to see my day, and he saw and rejoiced," they say, "You are not yet forty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Do you see that they were disposed as if toward a mere man? What then does he do? "Before Abraham came to be," he says, "I am." And they took up stones to throw at him. And when he extended long discourses about the mysteries, saying, "And the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh," they said, "This saying is harsh; who can hear it?" And because of this many of his disciples fell back and no longer walked with him. What then was he to do? Tell me: to dwell continually on the loftier sayings, so as to scare away the prey and drive all away from the teaching? But that was not in keeping with God's love for humanity. For again, when he said, "He who hears my word will never taste death," they said, "Did we not say rightly that you have a demon? Abraham died, and the prophets died, and you say that he who hears my word will never taste death?" And what wonder if the multitude was so disposed, when even the leaders themselves held this opinion?

Now Nicodemus, being a ruler himself, and having come to him with great goodwill and said, "We know that you have come from God as a teacher," was not able to accept the teaching about baptism, which was far greater than his weakness; for when Christ said, "Unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God," he fell so far into human suspicions and says, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb a second time and be born again?" What then does Christ say? "If I told you earthly things and you did not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" almost defending himself and saying why he did not continually discuss with them the higher birth. Again, at the very time of the cross, after countless signs, after that great demonstration of his power, when he said, "You will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds," the high priest, unable to bear what was said, tore his own garments. How then was he to discuss with these people, who could bear none of the lofty things? That he said nothing great and lofty about himself at all is not surprising, given men who crawl on the ground and are so weak.

4. Now, what has been said would suffice to show that this was the cause and pretext for the lowliness of his statements at that time; but I will also attempt to make this clear from the other side. For just as you saw them being scandalized, thrown into confusion, leaping away, reviling, and fleeing whenever Christ uttered something great and lofty, so I will try to show you them running to him and accepting his teaching whenever he said something humble and lowly. For these very ones who leaped away, when he said again, "I do nothing of myself, but I speak as my Father taught me," immediately ran to him. And the Evangelist, wishing to indicate to us that they believed because of the humility of his words, notes, saying, "When he had said these things, many believed in him." And one could find this happening in many other places. For this reason, he often spoke in a human manner, and again not in a human manner, but in a manner befitting God and worthy of his own nobility, on the one hand condescending to the weakness of his hearers, on the other hand providing for the correctness of the doctrines. For lest the condescension, if it occurred constantly, should harm the opinion concerning his dignity,

he might harm those who came after, he did not neglect that part either. But although he foresaw that they would not listen, but would even revile him and break away, nevertheless he spoke, both establishing this very point which I have mentioned, and showing the reason why he also mixed in lowly expressions with them. And this reason was that they were not yet able to receive the greatness of what was being said. And if he had not wished to establish this, the teaching of the lofty doctrines would have been superfluous for those who would not listen nor pay attention. But as it is, even if it did not benefit them, it taught us, and prepared us to hold the proper opinion about him, and convinced us that because they were not yet able to receive the greatness of what was being said, he brought the discourse down to a humbler level. Therefore, when you see him speaking humbly, consider the condescension to be not due to the lowliness of his essence, but to the weakness of the understanding of his hearers. Shall I mention a third reason as well? For it was not only on account of his assumption of flesh, nor on account of the weakness of his hearers, but also because he wished to teach humility to his hearers, that he both did and said many humble things. And this is a third reason again. For he who teaches humility instructs not only by words but also by deeds, moderating both in speech and action. "Learn from me," he says, "that I am meek and humble in heart." And again elsewhere: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

Therefore, the one who teaches people to be humble, and never to rush to preeminence, but to accept being inferior in every way, and who leads them to this both through words and through deeds, had many pretexts for speaking humbly. It is also possible to state a fourth reason, no less than those already mentioned. What is this? That we might not, because of the great closeness and ineffable nature of the hypostases, ever fall into the notion of a single prosopon, especially since even now, when he has said something of this sort only rarely, some have already slipped into this impiety. Sabellius the Libyan, for instance, hearing him say, "I and the Father are one," and, "He who has seen me has seen the Father," seized upon the closeness to the one who begot him, which is manifested from these words, as a basis for impiety, and the notion of a single prosopon and a single hypostasis. Nor are these the only pretexts, but also that no one should think that he is the first and unbegotten essence, or suppose him to be greater than the one who begot him. For Paul himself appears to have feared this very thing, lest someone might at some time suspect this impious and wicked doctrine. For instance, after saying, "For he must reign until he puts his enemies under his feet," and adding, "that he subjected everything under his feet," he added, "apart from the one who subjected everything to him." He would not have added this if he had not feared that some such diabolical notion might arise. And in many places, while soothing the envy of the Jews, he lowers the height of his words, and often responds to the suspicion of those conversing with him, as when he says:

If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. For he spoke thus with reference to their suspicion; for he did not wish to show that it is not true, but, as you think and suspect, he says, not wishing to accept him speaking about himself. 5. And there are many other causes to be found. For the humility of the words we could give many pretexts; but you, give one other pretext for the lofty doctrines, besides the one we have given; and this was his desire to show us his own nobility; but you would not be able to give another. For the great man could also say something small about himself, and it is not a fault; for this is of moderation; but the small man, if he ever said something great about himself, will not escape accusation; for it is boastfulness. Therefore we all praise the lofty one when he speaks humbly about himself; but no one will praise the lowly one if he ever says something great about himself. So if the Son were much inferior to the Father, as you say, he ought not to have spoken words through which he showed himself equal to the one who begot him; for this would have been boastfulness; but for one who is equal to the one who begot him to say humble and lowly things is no blame, nor cause for reproach; for this is praise and the greatest wonder.

And to make what has been said clearer, and so that you all may learn that we are not guessing at the divine Scriptures, let us now take up the first of these stated reasons and show where, on account of the envelopment of the flesh, he plainly utters words more inferior than his own essence. And, if you please, let us bring forward the prayer itself which he prayed to the Father. But pay close attention to me; for I wish to relate the whole matter to you from a little earlier. A supper once took place on that holy night on which he was about to be betrayed; for I call it holy, since the countless goods that came about throughout the world took their beginning from there. At that time, then, the traitor was also reclining with the eleven disciples, and as they were dining, Christ says, "One of you will betray me." Remember these words for me, so that when we come to the prayer, we may see for what reason he prays in this way. And observe the Master's solicitude: he did not say, "Judas will betray me," so as not to make him more shameless by the manifestness of the rebuke. But when that one, goaded by his conscience, says, "I am not the one, am I, Lord?" he says to him, "You have said it." And even then he did not endure to accuse him, but made him his own accuser. Yet not even thus did he become better, but taking the morsel, he went out. Since, then, he went out, Jesus, taking the disciples, says, "All of you will be scandalized by me.

But when Peter contradicted and said, "Even if all are scandalized, I will never be scandalized," Jesus again says, "Truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And when he again contradicted, he left him alone from then on. "You are not persuaded," he says, "by words, but you contradict; you will be persuaded by the deeds themselves, that it is not right to contradict the Master." And remember these words again, for their memory will be useful to us when we examine the prayer. He named the traitor, foretold the flight of all, and his own death: "I will strike the shepherd," he says, "and the sheep will be scattered." He foretold that he would deny him, and when and how many times, and everything with precision. And after giving all this as sufficient proof of his foreknowledge of future events, he comes to a certain place and prays. And they say that the prayer belongs to the divinity, but we say that it belongs to the economy. Judge, then, and bring a verdict that is not gratifying to anyone, for the sake of the glory of the Only-begotten himself. For even if I am now judging among friends, I beg and implore that the judgment be impartial, and that it be neither for my favor nor for their enmity. For it is especially clear even from the outset that the prayer is not of the divinity; for God does not pray, for it is God's to be worshipped, God's to receive prayer, not to offer prayer. But nevertheless, since they are shameless, I will try to make it clear to you from the very words of the prayer that the whole thing belongs to the economy and to the weakness of the flesh.

For when Christ says something lowly, he speaks in such a low and humble manner that the excess of humility in his words can persuade even those who are very contentious that the utterances fall far short of that ineffable and indescribable essence. Let us then go to the very words of the prayer: "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I wish, but as you do." Let us then ask them here: Does he not know whether it is possible or not—he who a little while ago said at the supper, "One of you will betray me"; he who a little while ago said, "It is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,'" and that "All of you will be scandalized in me"; he who said to Peter, "You will deny me," and "You will deny me three times"—does this man now not know, tell me? And who would say this, even among those who are at all sensible? For when the unknown matter is not clear to anyone—neither to prophets, nor angels, nor archangels—it might perhaps provide some handle to the contentious; but when the unknown matter is so evident and well-known to all that even men know it with precision, what defense and what pardon is there for those who say that he spoke these things in ignorance? Therefore, this matter of which I speak is seen to be known with precision even by his own servants, both that he had to die and that he had to suffer this by the cross; and David, declaring both these things so many years before, said in the person of Christ: "They dug through my hands and my feet.

and he announced the future as if it had already happened, showing that just as the events that occurred could not fail to happen, so too this could not fail to have happened. Again, Isaiah, foretelling this very thing, said: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer, speechless." John, seeing this lamb, said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," that one who was foretold, he says. And note, it is not simply said "the lamb," but "of God" is added. For since there was also another lamb, the Jewish one, indicating that this one is of God, he spoke thus. That one was offered only for the nation; this one was offered for the whole world. And the blood of that one prevented a physical plague only among the Jews, but the blood of this one has become a common purification for the whole world. And this blood of the Jewish lamb had the effect it had, not because of its own nature, but because it was a type of this one, it had that power. 6. Where then are those who say that he himself is called Son, and we are sons, and who, from the commonality of the name, attempt to bring him down to our lowliness? For behold, lamb and lamb, and the name is one, but the difference in nature between each is infinite. Just as, then, when you hear here a commonality of name, you imagine nothing equal, so too when you hear "son" and "son," do not bring the Only-begotten down to your lowliness. But what need is there to speak of what is clear? For if the prayer belongs to the Godhead, he will be found to be contradicting himself and speaking against himself and fighting with himself.

For this is the one who said here, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me," hesitating and shrinking from the passion, but elsewhere said that the Son of Man must be betrayed and scourged. When he heard Peter saying, "God forbid, this shall not happen to you," he rebuked him so severely as to say, "Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me, because you do not think the things of God, but the things of men." And yet shortly before he had praised and blessed him, but nevertheless he called him Satan, not wishing to insult the Apostle, but wanting to show through the insult that what was said was not according to his own mind, but so alien that he did not hesitate to call the one who said it, even though he was Peter, Satan. Again elsewhere he says, "I earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you." Why then does he say "this Passover"? For he had also celebrated this feast with them at other times. Why then? Because after it came the cross. And again, "Father, glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you." And in many places he both foretells the passion and desires it to happen.

We find this very thing, and that he came for this reason. How then does he say here, "If it is possible?" He reveals to us the weakness of human nature, which does not simply choose to be torn away from the present life, but shrinks back and hesitates because of the love for the present life implanted in it from the beginning by God. For if, when he had said so many and such great things, some dared to say that he did not take on flesh, what would they not have said if none of these things had been spoken? For this reason he foretells as God there, and desires the passion to take place; but here he flees and declines it as a man. For that he went to the passion willingly, he says, "I have authority to lay down my soul, and I have authority to take it up. No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own accord." How then does he say, "Not as I wish, but as you?" And why are you surprised, if before the cross he made such great effort to confirm the truth of the flesh, when even after the resurrection, seeing the disciple disbelieving, he did not refuse to show him both wounds and nail marks, and to submit the scars to the touch of a hand, and to say, "Examine and see that a spirit has no flesh and bones?" For this reason he did not take on the man from a perfect age from the beginning, but allowed himself to be conceived, born, nursed with milk, and to spend so much time on earth, so that by the length of time and by all other things he might confirm this very thing. For since angels have often appeared on earth in the form of a man, and God himself has done so, but what appeared was not the truth of flesh, but a condescension;

so that you may not think that this presence is of the same kind as those others were, but may be truly convinced that it was real flesh, and that he was conceived, and born, and nourished, and placed in a manger, not in some little house, but in a lodging, with an infinite multitude present, so that his birth might be made public. For this reason also there are swaddling clothes, and prophecies from above saying precisely this, not only that he will be a man, but that he will be conceived, and born, and nourished according to the law of children. And this Isaiah proclaims, saying: Behold, the virgin will conceive, and will bear a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel; he will eat butter and honey; and again, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. Do you see how they also foretold his earlier age? Ask the heretic then: Does God feel fear, and shrink back, and hesitate, and grieve? And if he says yes, then stand apart from him and place him below the devil, or rather even lower than that; for not even the devil will dare to say this. But if he says that none of these things is worthy of God, say, then neither does God pray; for apart from these things there will be another absurdity, if these are the words of God. For the words indicate not only anxiety, but also two wills, one of the Son and one of the Father, opposed to each other; for to say, "Not as I wish, but as you," is the utterance of one showing this. But not even those ever conceded this, but while we always say, "I and the Father are one," with reference to power, they claim that this is said with reference to will, saying that the Father and the Son have one will.

If, then, there is one will of Father and Son, how does he say here, "Yet not as I will, but as you"? For if this were said concerning the divinity, a contradiction would arise, and many absurdities would be born from it; but if concerning the flesh, what is said makes sense, and no charge would arise. For the flesh's not wishing to die is not a condemnation; this is a matter of nature; and he displays all the things of nature without sin, and with great abundance, so as to stop the mouths of the heretics. Therefore, when he says, "If possible, let this cup pass from me," and, "Not as I will, but as you," he shows nothing else but that he is truly clothed with flesh that fears death; for fearing death and shrinking back and being distressed belong to that flesh. Now, then, he leaves it deserted and bare of its own activity, so that by showing its weakness he may confirm its nature; now, then, he conceals it, so that you may learn that he was not a mere man. For just as, if he had displayed human things throughout, this would have been supposed; so, if he had performed the things of divinity throughout, the plan of the economy would have been disbelieved. For this reason he varies and mixes both words and deeds, so as to provide no pretext for the disease and madness of Paul of Samosata, nor for that of Marcion and Manichaeus; for this reason he both foretells what will happen as God, and shrinks back again as a man.

7. I would have liked to go through the remaining causes as well, and to show from the facts themselves that, just as here he prayed while exposing the weakness of the flesh, so elsewhere again he corrects the weakness of his hearers. For one must not think that all the humble expressions were spoken only on account of the garment of the flesh, but also on account of the other causes I mentioned. But so that I may not overwhelm the multitude of what has been said with the abundance of what is about to be said, having stopped my discourse to them here, and postponing the rest to another day, I will turn again to an exhortation to prayer. For even if we have often spoken about this subject, still it is necessary to speak now. For just as among garments, some that have been dyed once have a fading dye, while those which the dyers dip and draw up many times and continuously preserve the bloom of the color immovable, so too does this happen with our souls. For when we hear the same words many times, receiving the teaching like a kind of dye, we would not easily spit it out. Therefore, let us not listen carelessly. For there is nothing, nothing more powerful than prayer, nor anything equal to it. A king clad in a purple robe is not so splendid as one who prays, adorned by his communion with God. For just as, if in the presence of an army, generals, rulers, and many consuls, someone were to approach and converse privately with the king, he would turn everyone's eyes toward himself and become more august by this, so too would it be with those who pray.

Consider, then, how great a thing it will be, with angels present, archangels standing by, the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and all the other powers, that he, being a man, can approach with great confidence and converse with the king of those powers—of what honor would this not be worthy? And it is not only honor, but also the greatest benefit would come to us from prayer, even before we receive what we ask. For as soon as one stretches out his hands to heaven and calls upon God, he immediately withdraws from all human affairs, and his mind is transported to the future life, and he then imagines the things in the heavens, having no connection with the present life during the time of prayer, if he prays with precision. But even if anger boils up, it is easily calmed; if desire burns, it is extinguished; if envy consumes, it is driven away with great ease. And this happens, as the prophet says, when the sun rises. And what does he say? "You set darkness, and it became night; in it all the beasts of the forest will pass through, roaring cubs to seize and seek food from God for themselves. The sun rose, and they gathered together, and they will lie down in their folds." Just as, then, when the ray rises, all the beasts are put to flight and sink into their own lairs, so too, when prayer, like a kind of ray, appears from our mouth and tongue, the mind is illuminated, and all irrational and beastly passions flee and are put to flight, and

the Lord. If only we pray with precision, with an awakened soul and a sober mind. Then even if the devil is present, he is put to flight; even if a demon, he withdraws. For if, when a master converses with a servant, none of the fellow servants, nor any of those who have freedom of speech, would dare to approach and cause disturbance, much less would these, being offenders and without freedom of speech, be able to trouble us when we converse with God with the appropriate earnestness. Prayer is a harbor for the storm-tossed, an anchor for the tempest-tossed, a staff for the shaken, a treasure for the poor, security for the rich, a remedy for diseases, a guardian of health. Prayer both preserves our goods unmoved and quickly transforms evils. Even if a trial comes, it is easily repelled; even if a loss of money, or anything else that grieves our soul, all are quickly driven away. Prayer is a refuge from all grief, a foundation of cheerfulness, a source of continuous pleasure, a mother of philosophy. He who is able to pray with precision, even if he is the poorest of all, is richer than all. Just as he who is deprived of prayer, even if he sits on the royal throne itself, is the poorest of all. Was not Ahab king, and did he not have untold gold and silver? But since he had no prayer, he went about seeking Elijah, a man who had neither a dwelling nor a garment, but only a sheepskin. What is this? Tell me: do you, who have so many storehouses, seek the one who has nothing? Yes, he says. For what benefit are my treasuries to me, when he has closed the heavens and rendered everything useless? Do you see how that one was more prosperous than that one?

For until he spoke, the king was in great poverty with his entire army. Oh, the wonder: he did not even have a garment, and he closed the heavens. It was precisely for this reason that he closed the heavens, because he had no garment; because he possessed nothing here, for this reason he displayed great power: for merely opening his lips, he caused countless treasures of goods to be brought down from above. Oh, mouth having springs of showers; oh, tongue sending forth flakes of rains; oh, voice teeming with countless goods. Always looking to this poor and rich man, who was rich because he was poor, let us disregard present things, let us desire future things. For in this way we will attain all goods, both here and there; may it be that we all attain them, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of ages, Amen.