Causes Of Ruin And Salvation

Διὰ τοῦτο ἡγούμενοι λαοῦ μου ἀπορριφήσονται ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν τρυφῆς αὐτῶν, διὰ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτῶν ἐξώσθησαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, φησὶ, οἱ ταῖς εἰσηγήσεσι καὶ ταῖς νουθεσίαις ὕφελεν δυνάμενοι τοὺς ὑπεζευγμένους, οἱ χειραγωγοὶ, καὶ πατέρες, οἱ ποιμένες, καὶ ἐπιστάται, τὴν δορὰν αὐτου ἐξέδειραν, καὶ ἀφείλοντο τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν εἰς Θεὸν, δῖ ἧς εὐκόλως ἦν πάντα συντρίβεσθαι πόλεμον, ταύτῃτοι δικαίως τὰ οἴκοι μεθέντες ἀγαθὰ, τῶν ὅτι μάλιστα φιλαιτάτων ἐστερημένοι, τέρψεώς τε καὶ τρυφῆς ἀπωλισθηκότες, βαδιοῦνται πρὸς ἐχθροὺς, καὶ πικροὺς τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας καὶ τῆς φαυλότητος ἀποτίσουσι λόγους. Ὅτι δὲ τοῦ παθεῖν οὐχ ἕτερός τις αῡτοῖς, αὐτοὶ δὲ μᾶλλον σφισιν αὐτοῖς γεγόνασιν ἀφορμὴ, σαφηνίζει λέγων· Διὰ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτῶν ἐξώσθησαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀδίκως ἐκτείνεται δίκτυα πτερωτοῖς, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. Λὺτοὶ γὰρ οἱ φόνου μετέχοντες, θησαυρίζουσιν ἑαυτοῖς κακά. Αὐτοὶ δὴ οὖν ἡμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἀδικήσομεν, εἰ δρᾷν ἐθέλομεν ἂ μὴ θέμις. Ἐκπεμπόμεθα δὲ καὶ ἐξ οἴκων τρυφῆς. Οἱ γὰρ Θεῷ προσκρούοντες, τὰς ἄνθ καὶ ἐν οὐρανοῖς οὐκ ὄψονται μονὰς, ἀμέτοχοι δὲ μενοῦσι, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἐλπίδος, καὶ τῆς εἰς αἰῶνα τρυφῦς, Ἀλλ' οἴγε σοφοί τε καὶ ἀγαθοὶ, καὶ πρὸς πᾶν ὀτιοῦν τῶν ἐπαινουμένων διανενευκότες, οὐκ ἐν τούτοις ἔσονται, φησὶ, ἔξουσι δὲ πάλιν τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ταῖς ἄνω μοναῖς ἐνδιαιτήσονται, καὶ τοῖς οὐρανίοις ἐντρυφήσουσιν ἀγαθοῖς. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τον Προφήτην Μιχαίαν, Κεφαλὴ Β' Source: Migne PG 71.674a-c

Because of this the leaders of my people shall be cast out of the dwellings of their delight, and because of their wicked ways they shall be driven out. 1 Because, he says, they were able to seduce those under them with teachings and exhortations, the guides and fathers and shepherds and the great men, who thus stripped the skin off them and took from them their hope in God, by which they were able to crush down every conflict without difficulty, therefore it is right that they should lose their domestic goods, and the ones who are dearest to them, and their delights and pleasures, and tramp off to the enemy, and pay back the bitter account of their carelessness and wickedness. And no one else inflicts this on them, but they themselves are the cause, which he shows, saying: 'Because of their wicked ways they shall be driven out.' For not in vain is the net stretched out for birds, according to Scripture. 2 They are the makers of their own ruin, heaping up evils for themselves. Therefore we wound ourselves if we do not wish to do what is right. We shall be driven out from the houses of our joys. For those who set themselves against God shall not see the supernal dwellings in heaven, nor shall they be partakers of the hope of the saints and eternal joy. But those who are wise and good, ever eager for everything that is praiseworthy, they shall not be like them, but rather they shall be gathered with those assembled in heaven, and in dwellings above they shall live, and in the heavens they shall delight in eternal goods. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Prophet Micah, Chapter 2 1 Micah 2.9 Sept 2 Prov 1.17-18