Leading To Freedom

Λαός μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι, ἢ τί ἐλύπησά σε, ἢ τί σοι παρηνώχλησά; Ἀποκρίθητί μοι. Διότι ἀνήγαγόν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας ἐλυτρωσάμην σε, καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα πρὸ προσώπου σου τὸν Μωυσῆν καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ Μαριάμ. Ἐξήγαγε δὲ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου νοητοῦ, τουτέστιν ἐκ σκότους, καὶ δαιμονίης πλεονεξίας, καὶ πηλοῦ, καὶ πλινθίας, σαρκικῶν δηλονότι παθῶν. Διεβίβασε καὶ θάλασσαν τοὺς ἐντεῦθεν περισπασμούς, μονονουχὶ καὶ πικρῶν ἀπήλλαξε κυμάτων ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κινδύνων, και νόμους τοὺς θείους εἰς νοῦν ἐνεχάραξεν. Ἀνέδειξε δὲ καὶ ἱερουρηὸν τὸν τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ἀρχηγον. Ἐξαπέστειλε δὲ ὥσπερ καὶ Μαριὰμ, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἢ τῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπερῄρθη, λαμπρῶς ἀντιθεῖσα τὴν δόξαν τῷ σεσωκότι Θεῷ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ ὕμνοι, καὶ χαριστήρια, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δόσεως ἔπαινοι, καὶ ἀναῥῥησεις ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Παραφυλακτέον οὖν καὶ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, μὴ ἄρα πως ἡμεῖς τοῖς Ἰουδαῖκοῖς ἐγκλήμασιν ὑποπέσωμεν, καὶ μὴ φορτικὸν ἡγώμεθα, τὸ ἀνδάνον Θεῷ. Ὡς γὰρ ὁ μακάριος φησιν Ἰωάννης, Αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὐτου βαρεῖαι οὔκ εἰσι. Καὶ αὐτὸς δέ φησι ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς, καὶ τὸ φορτιόν μου ἐλαφρόν. Προσάγωμεν τοίνυν Θεῷ τὸ εὐνήνιον, ὅτι τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ φορτικὸν οὐδέν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τον Προφήτην Μιχαίαν, Κεφαλὴ Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 71.674a-c

My people, tell me what have I done to you, how have I mistreated you? Answer me. I led you from the land of Egypt and set you free from the house of slavery, and I sent forth Moses and Aaron and Mariam before you. 1 He led them from the spiritual Egypt, that is, from the darkness and the deceits of the devil, and from mud and bricks, that is, from carnal passions. And He led them through the sea, from the confusion there, and he freed them from the bitter waves of danger looming over them, and He inscribed the Divine laws in their minds. And He even revealed a holy high priest for their salvation. And He sent forth Mariam, who clearly is the Church, superior to the plots of enemies, that they return glory to God the saviour. For in the Church hymns always break forth, and deeds of grace, and praises of Divine benefactions. Let us therefore also be careful lest we also fall into Jewish errors, and we judge that what pleases God is intolerable. For as the blessed John writes: 'His commands are not burdensome.' 2 And Christ Himself says: 'My yoke is easy and my burden light.' 3 Let us then offer eager minds to God, because there is nothing from Him that is burdensome. 4 Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary On The Prophet Micah, Chapter 6 1 Micah 6.3-4 2 Heb 2.10 3 1 Jn 5.7 4 Mt 11.30

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