“And this, knowing the time, that now it is high time for us to awake out of sleep” (Romans 13:11).

          1 After he had given them all the commands that should be done, he again exhorts them to do good things quickly, because the time of judgment is very near, just as he wrote to the Corinthians, saying, “The time is short from now on.” [1]And he also wrote to the Hebrews, “For yet a little while the one who is coming will come and will not delay.” [2]But in these two letters he said this to strengthen those who labored, and to comfort them for their troubles and successive trials, while here (i.e. in Romans) he said this to awaken those who slept (i.e. the heedless). So this speech is useful for both also. But what does it mean when he says: “It is now the hour to awake from sleep”? It means that the resurrection is near, that the terrible judgment is near, that the day that burns like an ambush of fire is near, and that we must all the more get rid of indifference. For “our salvation is nearer now than when we believed.”

          Do you see how He now introduces the subject of resurrection to these people? Because while time passes, the time of this present life is spent, and the time of eternal life is coming very soon. So if you are ready and do all that He has commanded, today becomes a day of salvation for you, but if the opposite happens, today will no longer be a day of salvation.

          But he did not preach at first about the sad things, but about the profitable ones, in order to deliver them from the lust of present things. But he spoke of what was sad afterwards, for it was natural that they should show more readiness at first, as long as their desire was strong. But the desire fades away completely with the passage of time, and here he begins to advise them that they should not do the opposite, not to slacken as time goes on, but rather to intensify their efforts. For the nearer the time of the king, the more the readiness increases, and the nearer the time of the reward, the more we should increase our readiness for the struggle. For this is what runners do, when they come near the end of the road and receive the prize, they intensify their efforts more strongly, and therefore he said, “Our salvation is nearer now than when we believed.”

2 “The night is far spent, and the day is at hand” (Romans 13:12).

          So if the night is ending, the day is approaching. Let us do those works (that is, works of light), and not these works (that is, works of darkness). Especially since this is what happens in life. When we see that the night is running towards dawn, and we hear the singing of the bird, each one wakes his neighbor, although of course it is still night. And since the night is already departing, we act in haste and do one thing after another, for the day has already come and we do everything that is appropriate for the day, that is, we put on our clothes, we wake up from dreams, and bid farewell to sleep, so that the day will find us ready, so that we do not begin immediately when we wake up, but rather strengthen ourselves when the sun rises. So what we do in our daily life, let us do here also. Let us transcend imagination, let us get rid of the dreams of the present life, let us leave deep sleep, and let us put on virtue instead of clothes. In order to announce all this, he said, “Let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Especially since our day calls for alignment and battle.

          But let us not be afraid when we hear of a line-up and a battle. For to arm ourselves with material weapons is considered a heavy and undesirable thing, whereas here it is desirable and worthy of being sought, because the weapons are weapons of light. And for this reason they appear to you more splendid than the rays of the sun, because they radiate much light, and secure you, and make you shine exceedingly, because they are weapons of light. What then? Is there a need for us to fight? Yes, of course not, but let us exert ourselves, and tire ourselves out, because this is not a war of war, but joy and celebration. This is the nature of these weapons (weapons of light), and this is the strength of the leader. And just as the bridegroom who adorns himself and leaves the bridal chamber, so also he who is supported by these weapons (weapons of light) is adorned with them. Especially since both the soldier and the bridegroom adorn themselves with them in their march. But after saying that the day is approaching, he does not let it approach, but immediately presents it, for he says:

“Let us walk properly, as in the day” (Romans 13:13).

          So now the day has come. About and began to draw these by the way of things that are advised by many, draws these, that is, fitness. For many have talked much with these about glory. And he did not say, “that we walk,” but he said, “that we walk,” in order to make the advice without weariness, and to lighten the rebuke.

          “Not in revelry and drunkenness,” not that he forbids a man to drink, but that he should not drink excessively, nor that he forbids him to enjoy wine, but that he should not enjoy debauchery, just as the following speech also refers to it by the same standard, saying, “Not in lying and fornication.” Of course, here he does not abolish physical union with women, but he rejects adultery. “Not in strife and envy.” That is, he forbids the deadly things of passion, lust, and anger. And precisely for this reason he not only abolishes these things, but also their sources. For there is nothing that kindles lust to such a great extent, and makes anger inevitable, except drunkenness and fornication. Therefore, after first saying, “Not in revelry and drunkenness,” he adds, “Not in lying and fornication. Not in strife and envy.” And he did not stop at this, but after stripping us of the defiling garments, hear how he adorns us afterwards, saying, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” He did not yet refer to works, but urged them to the utmost degree. For when he spoke to them of evil, he referred to works, whereas when he spoke of virtue, he did not refer to works but to weapons, showing that virtue leads to safety and all splendor to those who possess it. Nor did he stop here either, but continued to speak to something greater, which is a most terrible thing, the Lord himself is presented to us as a garment, the king himself is presented as a garment. For he who is clothed with the Lord possesses all virtue.

          But when he says, “Put on,” he commands that we put on him from every side, just as he says in another place, “If Christ is in you.” [3] And also, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” [4] He also wants us to be a dwelling place for Christ, and to wear Him as a garment, so that He may be all things to us, inside and out. For He is as we are, for He is “the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” [5] He is a way, a husband, and a bridegroom, because he says, “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” [6] It is the origin or root, the water and food of life “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” [7] He is an apostle, a high priest, a teacher, a father, a brother, an heir, and a partner in our grave and our cross. “Therefore we were buried with him… into death… we became united with him in the likeness of his death.” [8] , pleading, “We are ambassadors for Christ.” [9] And he intercedes for us before the Father. “He will rather intercede for us.” [10] He is the dwelling place and the inhabitant. “He abides in me, and I in him.” [11] He is a lover, “You are my beloved.” [12] He is the foundation and cornerstone, and we are his members, we are the field, the building, the branches, and we are co-workers with him.

          And who does not want to become one of us, to bind us together and unite us in every way? Which is the mark of one who loves supremely. So submit, and when you wake up from sleep, put on Christ, and when you have put on Him, give your body to Him in obedience. For this is what He indicated when He said:

“And make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts” (Romans 13:14).

          Just as he did not forbid drinking wine, but forbade drunkenness, and did not forbid marriage, but forbade fornication, so he did not forbid caring for the body, but he warned against satisfying the lusts of the body, that is, the feeling of excessive need. Since he commands caring for the body, hear what he says to Timothy: “Use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” [13]. So here also, he recommends care for the body, but for the sake of health, not for the sake of debauchery. The presence of circumstances that favor the terrifying kindling of fire cannot be considered care or care. And in order that you may know well what it means, in any case, to care for the body in relation to the satisfaction of its passions, and to understand how to avoid wrong care, you must remember drunkards, and those who are slaves to their bellies, and those who boast of their clothes, and the licentious, and those who live a life of pleasure, a life full of enjoyments, and you will know the meaning of what has been said.

          For those who do everything, do it not to become healthier, but to feel pleasure, to kindle lust. But you who put on Christ, when you break away from all this, to seek only one thing, how to have a healthy body. And to care for it only to this extent, and no more, but to devote all your desire to the acquisition of spiritual goodness or spiritual goods. So then you will be able to wake up from this sleep, without feeling burdened by these various lusts. Likewise, the present life is a sleep, and everything that happens in this life is no different from what happens in dreams. And just as those who sleep, and rave, and many times do not see anything right, so also we, and perhaps much worse. He who commits heinous deeds in a dream is not punished for them when he falls, but gets rid of them. As for what actually happens, his punishment does not end, and so is the shame that follows these deeds. Also, everyone who has become rich in a dream, when the day breaks, is rebuked, because they became rich by chance, while here before the day breaks, they receive more than rebuke, and before we move there, these dreams have been dispelled.

          3 Let us therefore get rid of this evil sleep. For if our day is devoted to sleep, eternal death will follow. And before that day, we shall be weak before all enemies, who come from hence (from sleep or laziness) and before men, and before demons, and if they wish to destroy us, there will be none to prevent them. For if the watchers are many, the danger will not be so great, for one, or perhaps two, light a lamp and remain awake, while the others sleep, just as happens at midnight, and therefore much vigilance and much security are imposed upon us, lest we be afflicted with irreparable evils. Does it not seem to us now how the day is bright? Do we not all think that we are awake and that we are calm? But we are all (you may laugh at the words, but I will say them) like those who are in a deep sleep and snore. If it is possible to see a being of incorporeal substance, it means that the majority are in a deep sleep, while the devil breaks through the walls and preys on all who sleep, taking away everything that is inside, doing all this with the assurance of one who works in complete darkness. Or, it is better to say, that the devil knows that it is impossible for anyone to see him, but we see him through bad speech. And let us think how many are fighting with evil desires, who are controlled by the frightful drug resulting from debauchery, and how many are completely extinguishing the light of the soul. So then they see that when a person is immersed in a dream he sees and hears, but not in a realistic way, and therefore he does not listen if someone speaks while awake.

But if I lie when I speak of these things, and you are awake, tell me, what happened here today, if it did not happen as if in a dream? And I know, of course, that some will say, why did I not speak of these subjects to everyone? But you, who are guilty of the former things, and who entered here without benefit, speak, what prophet, what apostle spoke to us today, and what things are happening. You cannot say, because you have spoken of many things here, as in a dream, without listening to the real things. But let us speak of these things with regard to women, especially since they sleep a lot, and if only it were sleep, because one who sleeps does not speak evil, nor good, while one who is awake like you speaks a lot about his evil, counts the interest, calculates the profits, and prepares the accounts of the loans, carries in his memory spoiled wine (drunkenness), sows thick thorns in his soul, and does not leave the seed a little until it bears fruit. You must wake up completely, and pull out these thorns by the roots, and free yourself from the drunkenness, because from here comes sleep. But by drunkenness I do not mean only the drunkenness of wine, but also the interests of life, and with the drunkenness of these interests comes the drunkenness of wine also.

          And I do not advise these things only to the rich, but also to the poor, and especially to those who make agape tables. For this is no pleasure, nor does it bring comfort, but a reward and a punishment. For pleasure is not to speak rudely, but to speak with dignity, to be satisfied, not to quarrel. But if you think that there is pleasure in this, show me this pleasure in the evening. You cannot show it. And I have not yet spoken of the harms that come from this (i.e. from drunkenness), but I speak to you first of the pleasure that fades away at once. For in one moment the table is cleared and the joy is gone. But when I mention vomiting, headaches, innumerable diseases, and captivity of the soul, what will you say of all these things? Is it because we are poor that we must behave without dignity? I speak of these things, not to prevent you from preparing common tables, nor to prevent you from making common food, but to prevent you from acting without dignity, and because I want pleasure to be real pleasure, and not to be reward and punishment, drunkenness and amusement. And for the knowledge of the Gentiles, Christians know in any case how to enjoy and be amused, and to enjoy with dignity. The psalmist says, “Rejoice in the Lord with fear.” [14] How can we rejoice? We rejoice when we say hymns, and offer prayers, and let the psalms replace those foolish songs.

          Thus Christ will be at our table, and the food and drink will be filled with blessing, when you pray, when you sing spiritually, when you invite the poor to share in the food that is set out, and when you impose great obedience and reverence at the table. So also the church will make the food and drink, and all will praise the Lord, and this praise will take the place of shouting and unseemly praise. And do not tell me, that another law has prevailed, but you must correct the evil conditions that accompany the behaviors. Thus he says: “Whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” [15] Especially since evil desires are generated from these tables and from them comes debauchery, and from here (i.e. from these tables) your women are despised, while harlots are honoured, from here comes the dissolution or disintegration of families, and countless evils come, and chaos reigns over everything, and after you have left the pure spring, you have run into the stream of mud. And since the body of the harlot is mud, I do not ask anyone about this matter, but I ask you, who wallow in the mud, if you are not ashamed of yourself, if you do not imagine how defiled you are after sin.

          4 Therefore I beseech you to avoid fornication, and its source, which is drunkenness. Why do you plant where you cannot reap, or perhaps even if you reap, the fruit will bring you much shame? For even if a child is born from this sinful relationship, this will bring you shame, and he will be wronged because of you, since he is considered a legitimate son, and of bad origin. Even if you still leave him great wealth, he will be despised in the house, despised in the city, and despised in the court.

          This is he who is born of a harlot, this is he who is born of fornication or deceit, and you too are despised when you live, and when you die. For even if you die, the memories of your shameful deeds remain. Why then do you shame everything? Why do you sow, where the earth tries to destroy the fruit? Sow where the barren or desolate parts abound? Where before birth there is murder or murder? Especially since the harlot does not only leave her to remain a harlot, but also makes her a murderer. Do you see, how fornication comes from drunkenness, and fornication from fornication, and murder from fornication? And perhaps something worse than murder, for I cannot call it that. For it does not kill him after he is born, but prevents him from being born. Why then do you despise the gift of God, and fight against his laws, and seek him who is a curse as a blessing, and make the womb of birth a womb of murder, and prepare the woman who was given to you to bear children for murder? You also do not deny that this woman is pleasing and desirable to lovers, and collects more money, and because of this she collects a burning fire over your head. Because although the pornography is attributed to her, the reason is due to you.

          Hence comes idolatry. For many, in order to become attractive, invent hymns (prayers), charms, sexual magic methods and countless other things. But after this great ugliness, after so many murders, after idolatry, it seems to many that it is not worth paying attention to, although many have wives. And here the extent of evils is most evident, because they resort to sorcery, not in the womb of the harlot but in the wronged woman, and to a thousand tricks, and they will call on demons, and communicate with the dead (by divination), and wage daily wars, and brutal battles, and daily disputes. And therefore St. Paul, after saying, “not in bed and fornication,” added, “not in strife and envy,” because he knows the wars that come about through these things, and the breakup of families, and the injustice that befalls well-mannered children, and the evils that are innumerable. So that we may avoid all this, let us put on Christ, and let us always be with Him. And never to leave Him, for the meaning of the word “put on” is that Christ appears from within us in all aspects through our holiness, through our goodness. Thus we say to our friends that so-and-so has put on so-and-so, meaning great love and continuous companionship. Because the one who puts on, appears to be the one who was put on.

          So let Christ appear from within us from every side. And how will He appear? If you do what He does. And what did He do? “But the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” [16] This is what you should imitate. He should have lived in enjoyment of food, so he ate barley bread. He needed to travel and could not find horses or beasts of burden, so he walked very long distances, so he was tired too. He needed to sleep, but he stretched out (slept) and made the bow of the ship a pillow for his head. He needed to make them sit down to eat, and he ordered them to sit on the grass. Even his clothes were cheap, and in many cases he remained alone, without bringing anyone with him, and since you know everything that happened on the cross, and the insults, and everything in general, then do all this, and you will have put on Christ, if you do not care about satisfying the lusts of the flesh. Because this matter carries no joy. Especially since these lusts also give birth to other painful things, and will never be satisfied. He who lives in lusts is always thirsty, like someone who remains thirsty, and even if there are countless wells of water near him, he will gain nothing from that, as long as he cannot quench his lust. So is he who always lives in lusts.

          But if the body is trained to deprivation, it will never be afflicted with this fever (i.e., the fever of lusts), but drunkenness and prostitution will leave you. For you must eat as much as will stop hunger, and dress only as much as will cover you, and you must not adorn the body with clothes lest you destroy it. Especially since by doing so you make it weaker, and harm health, after having weakened it with so much folly. So that you may have a good carriage for the soul, so that the commander may sit safely at the wheel, and so that the soldier may use weapons easily, you must practice all of this as it should be. For what makes us not accept defeat is not that we have much, but that we need little. For he (i.e., he who has much), even if he has not yet been wronged, is afraid, while he (i.e., he who needs little), even if he has yet been wronged, will be in a better state than those who have not yet been wronged, and therefore will be found in greater joy. So we must not ask for this (i.e., much), that is, no one should harm us, and even if he wants to harm us, he will not be able to. This will never happen if we endure deprivation and do not desire more. Because, in this way, based on this behavior, we will be able to live a life full of enjoyment and will obtain the blessings of the coming age, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

[1] 1 Corinthians 7:29.

[2] Hebrews 10:37.

[3] Romans 10:8.

[4] Eph 17:3.

[5] Eph 23:1.

[6] 2 Corinthians 2:11.

[7] Galatians 2:20.

[8] Romans 4:6-5.

[9] 2 Corinthians 5:20.

[10] Romans 8:34.

[11] John 6:56.

[12] John 14:15.

[13] 1 Timothy 5:23.

[14] Psalm 11:2 (Q).

[15] 1 Corinthians 10:31.

[16] Luke 9:58.