Death Of Rich And Poor

ἐγένετο δὲ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτωχὸν κ.τ.λ ἀπέθανεν δὲ καὶ ὁ πλούσιος καὶ ἐτάφη κ.τ.λ Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Λάζαρος οὗτος, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πάσης ἀπήει δορυφορίας, καὶ τῶν χρηστοτέρων ἐλπίδων· τοῖς γὰρ ἐλπίδας ἔχουσι τὰς παρὰ Θεῷ, μετάστασις ἂν εἴη ἐξ ἀνίας καὶ πόνων, ἡ ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀποδημία· καὶ τι τοιοῦτον ὁ Σολομῶν ἐδίδαξεν εἰπών· Ἔδοξαν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀφρόνων τεθνάναι, καὶ ἐλογίσθη κάκωσις ἡ ἔξοδος αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ ἀφ' ἡμῶν πορεία, σύντριμμα· οἱ δὲ εἰσὶν ἐν εἰρήνῃ, καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν ἀθανασίας πλήρης. Δίδοται γὰρ αῡτοῖς ἰσοπαλὲς τοῖς πόνοις, τὸ τῆς παρακλήσεως μέτρον· ἢ τάχα που καὶ πλείους τῶν πόνων αἱ ἀμοιβαί· ἔφη γὰρ Χριστὸς, ὅτι Μέτρον καλὸν πεπιεσμένον, σεσαλευμένον, ὑπερεκχυνόμενον, δώσουσιν εἰς τὸν κόλπον ὑμῶν. Οὐκοῦν ὁ μὲν Λάζαρος διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ἀπενήνεκται, φησὶν, εἰς κόλπους Ἀβραάμ· ὁ δὲ πλούσιος ἀπέθανε, φησὶ καὶ ἐτάφη· θάνατος γὰρ αὐτῷ σκληρῷ γεγονότι καὶ ἀφιλοικτείρμονι, τὸ ἀπαλλαγῆναι σώματος· ἄπεισι γὰρ ἐκ τρυφῆς εἰς κόλασιν· ἐκ δόξης εἰς ἀτιμίαν· ἐκ φωτὸς εἰς σκότος. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Κεφα. ΙϚ Source: Migne PG 72. 828

And the poor man died... And the rich man died and was buried... 1 But not so that Lazarus who departed with a great guard and the best of hopes. For he who has hope in God is taken from grief and toil when he is cut off from us here. Solomon taught the same, saying, 'They have seemed to have died in the eyes of the unwise and their departing is reckoned an evil, and to be cut off from us annihilation; but they are at peace and their hope is full of immortality.' 2 For to them is given a measure of reward for their labours. Or the reward is even greater than the labour. For Christ says, 'A good measure, pressed down and shaken and overflowing shall be given into your lap.' 3 Therefore it says that Lazarus was taken by the holy angels into the lap of Abraham, but that when the rich man died that he was buried. For death to the heartless man is merciless, when he is separated from the body. He goes from luxury to punishment, from glory to disgrace, from light to darkness. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, from Chapter 16 1 Lk 16.22 2 Wis 3. 2-4 3 Lk 6.38