Food And Labour

Ἤδεται ὁ ἡμέτερος Κύριος Σωτὴρ καὶ Χριστὸς τοῖς ἐπαινετοῖς ἔργοις ἡμῶν καθεκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ νύκτα τρεφόμενος. Βρῶμα γὰρ ἔχω φαγεῖν, ἔλεγε τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ὅπερ ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἐπιστασθε νῦν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα γνώσεσθε, τῆς τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν πόλεως τῶν τότε πιστευσάντων, καὶ τῆς τῶν μετὰ τοῦτο μυρίων ἐθνῶν χριστιανισάντων σωτηρίαν τὴν ἐδωδὴν προαινιττόμενος τοῖς οἰκείοις φοιτηταῖς, Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἠσαῗας προανεφώνει περὶ Χριστοῦ, ὅτιπερ βούτυρον καὶ μέλι φάγεται. Ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν τὸν Ἀδὰμ πλαστουργήσας, ὕστερον δὲ ὡς παιδίον, καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὀφωεὶς Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ γῆς, καὶ πάντων ὁρατῶν, Διὰ βουτύρου καὶ μέλιτος το τρόφιμον τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ, καὶ προσηνὲς ὑπεμφαίνων τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν καλλίστης ἐργασίας. Ἐαν καλὰ πράττῃς ἔργα, καὶ μιμῇ τὸ πρᾶον τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἔθρεψας αὐτὸν βουτύρῳ καὶ μέλιτι· ἐὰν δὲ ὀργίλος μένῃ, καὶ φαύλων ἐργάτης πράξεων, λέξει εὐλόγως καὶ περὶ σοῦ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι Ἔδωκεν οὗτος εἰς τὸ βρῶμα μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισέ με ὄξος. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΝ' ΣΝΑ' Τευκρῳ Διακονῳ Source: Migne PG 79.176a-b

Our Lord Saviour and Christ takes joy in the labours of our praise on which He feeds night and day. 'For I have food for eating, He says to the Apostles, which you now do not know of now,' 1 and after would be known, in the city of the Samaritans when those among them believed, 2 and after them the endless number of peoples, who were given the name of Christ, foretelling the bread of salvation of our support. Indeed Isaiah gives prophecy concerning Christ, 'Butter and honey he shall eat,' 3 He who before this fashioned Adam and after as a little infant and man was seen, Jesus Christ, God of heaven and of earth, and all things visible. Butter and honey is the nourishment of the soul, and indicates nothing but the sweet and meek good works of Christians. Thus if you do good works and emulate the meekness of Christ, you shall feed Him with butter and honey; but if you are bloated with anger and turned to depraved deeds, not without reason did Christ speak of you, saying, 'They gave me gall for my bread and for my drink they poured out vinegar. ' 4 Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letters 250 and 251, to Teucer the Deacon  1 Jn 4.32 2 Jn 4.39-42 3 Isai 8.15 4 Ps 68.22