Gathering a Host

Πᾶσιν ἄνοιξον τὰ σπλάγχνα τοϊς τοῦ Θεοῦ μαθηταϊς ἀπογεγραμμένοις· μὴ πρὸς σῶμα ἀπιδὼν ὑπεροπτῶς, μή πρὸς ἡλικίαν ἀμελῶς διατεθείς. Μηδ᾽ εἴ τις ἀκτήμων ἣ δυσειδὴς ἣ ἀσθενὴς φαίνεται, πρὸς τοῦτο τῇ ψυχῇ δυσχεράνῇς καὶ ἀποστραφῆς. Σχῆμα τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἔξωθεν ἡμιν περιβεβλημένον, τῆς εἰς κὸσμον παρόδου προφασις, ἵνα εἰς τὸ κοινὸν τοῦτο παιδευτήπριον εἰσελθεῖν δυνηθῶμεν· ἀλλ᾽ ἔνδον ὁ κρυπτὸς ἐνοικεῖ Πατὴρ, καὶ ὁ τούτου Παῖς ὁ ὑπερ ἡμῶν ἀποθανὼν, καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἀναστας. Τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα βλεπόμενον ἐξαπατᾷ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὸν διάβολον· ὁ γὰρ ἐντος πλοῦτος, τὸ κάλλος, αὐτοῖς ἀθέατός ἐστι· καὶ μαίνονται περὶ τὸ σαρκίον, οὖ καταφρονοῦσιν ὡς ἀσθενοῦς, τῶν ἔνδον ὄντες τυφλοὶ κτημάτων· οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι πηλίκον τινὰ θησαυρὸν ἐν ὀστρακίνῳ σκεύει βαστάζομεν, δυνάμει Θεοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ αἴματι Θεοῦ Παιδὸς καὶ δρόσῳ Πνεύματος ἀγίου περιτετειχισμένον. Ἀλλὰ σύ γε μὴ ἐξαπατηθῇς, ὁ γεγευμένος τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ κατηξιωμένος τῆς μεγάλης λυτρώσεως· άλλὰ τὸ ἐναντιον τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις σεαυτῷ κατάλεξον στρατὸν ἄοπλον, ἀπόλεμον, ἀναίμακτον, ἀὀργητον, ἀμίαντον, γέροντας θεσεβεῖς, ὀρφανοὺς θεοφιλεῖς, χήρας πραότητι ὡπλισμένας, ἄνδρας ἀγάπῃ κεκοσμημένους. Τοιούτους κτῆσαι τῳ σῳ πλούτῳ καὶ τῷ σώματι, καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ δορυφόρους.   Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Τις Ὁ Σώζομενος Πλούσιος

Open your heart to all who are enrolled as disciples of God; do not glance contemptuously at any person, nor carelessly pass over any period of life. Do not, if someone appears poor or ugly or weak, be troubled in soul by them and turn away. This form is thrown around us from without, the cause of our entrance into this world that we enter into this common school. But within dwells the hidden Father and His Son who died for us and with us rose. This visible form tricks death and the devil; for the wealth within, the beauty, is unseen by them; and they rage over a carcass, which they despise as weak, being blind to the goods within, not knowing what treasure we carry in an earthenware vessel, guarded by the power of God the Father and the blood of God the Son and the dew of the Holy Spirit. But let not yourself be tricked, you who have tasted of the truth and been judged worthy of the great redemption. Unlike other men collect for yourself an unarmed, peaceful, bloodless, mild, immaculate host: the pious aged, orphans dear to God, widows armed with meekness, men adorned with charity. With your money purchase such guardians for body and soul. Clement of Alexandria, from Who is the Rich Man who will be Saved,