Sermon on the Barbarian Time 8

… What is narrower than that opening which one of the soldiers made by piercing the side of the Crucified? And yet through this narrow way almost the whole world has now entered. Come, you Jews too: the Son of God whom you crucified calls you. Strive to enter through the narrow gate: for through it your fathers entered. Those who shouted that he be crucified, who saw him hung on the wood, who mocked, who shook their heads, yet entered through this narrow way. For not in vain did he cry out as he hung on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Through this narrow way, then, as I said, through the narrow gate of Christ’s side, there entered the robber, changed; the Jew, repentant; every pagan, converted; and through it went out the wicked Arian heretic. He went out, because he was not of the number of those who remain. For he was of those of whom John says: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would surely have remained with us.” O Arian heretic, the robber recognizes him hanging on the cross, his very enemies the Jews trembled at his rising, and you treat ill the one who reigns in heaven! Beware, dearly beloved, of the Arian plague; let them not separate you from Christ by promising earthly things; let them not strip you of your faith for the sake of a tunic. Members of Christ, keep the unity and wholeness of the one tunic, which not even Christ’s persecutors dared to tear. Do not do injury to your head: he died for you, that you might not die. Why does the Arian kill by rebaptizing the one whom Christ made alive through baptism? Blush, blush, heretic. Peter denied, and came back, and by weeping blotted out what he had denied through fear. Paul persecuted Christ in his own, but at his voice he fell and rose. He fell one way and rose another: he fell a persecutor, he was raised a preacher. Kings persecuted Christ in Christians; but they did them a great service when the members passed swiftly to their head. No one inflicts such losses on Christ as you do: for you long to kill the souls of many, for whom Christ came in the flesh to be killed. Blush, blush, heretic. Why do you repeat what is given once? Christ has already been born in his members: will you want to rebaptize him in them? For once for all he deigned to go down into the water with John. Christ redeemed souls; guard what he redeemed. Give the whole estate to the whole Christ. Let no one invade it, let no one consent to the invader; let no one wipe off the Lord’s mark, let no one take down Christ’s titles. You will render account to the Lord the King, good servants: an occasion for doing good has been given you. Strangers, captives, and the despoiled abound. Make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that they too may receive you into the eternal dwellings.