The public sacrifice of praise in the Church
Basil is closing the homily by explaining the psalmist's vow to offer the sacrifice of praise publicly in Jerusalem, which he identifies with the Church of God, and he warns those who leave the Church for private gatherings.
And I will offer to you the sacrifice of praise, more honorable to you than ten thousand whole burnt offerings—to you, the self-sufficient and perfect God, who do not demand bodily sacrifices, in which the wealthy have the advantage, but rather the confession that comes from a sincere disposition and heart, which is equally available to all who desire it. “I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people” (Psalm 115:8 LXX; Psalm 116:14 Hebrew). When I offer you praise, I will not do it secretly, in some hidden corner, as if ashamed and fleeing the reproaches of the ungodly. No, I will perform a public sacrifice, taking the whole people as partners in the worship. And the place appointed for our sacrifice will be the very center and most conspicuous parts of Jerusalem.
Listen, you who abandon the Church and gather in ordinary houses, you wretched fragments torn from the precious body: vows must be paid in the midst of Jerusalem—that is, in the Church of God. For even under the old worship, no one was permitted to set up a private altar; one altar alone was appointed for those who chose to sacrifice. But you raise up an altar against the altar of the fathers, and you kindle alien fire upon it, not even being corrected by the ancient example. You draw in people whose minds are corrupted, and you defile yourself along with them. May you flee from imitating those people, you people of the Lord, and do not be separated from the portion of those who are being saved. Remain in the faith, being perfected in the commandments of the Lord, to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Greek
Καὶ ἱερουργήσω σοι τὴν τῆς αἰνέσεως θυσίαν, μυρίων ὁλοκαυτωμάτων προτιμοτέραν σοὶ τῷ ἀπροσδεεῖ καὶ τελείῳ Θεῷ, ὃς οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖς σωματικὰς θυσίας, ἐν αἷς πλεονεκτοῦσιν οἱ εὐπορώτεροι, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπὸ διαθέσεως καὶ καρδίας ἀληθινῆς ἐξομολόγησιν, ἧς μέτεστι πᾶσιν ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς βουλομένοις. Τὰς εὐχάς μου τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀποδώσω ἐναντίον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Θύων δέ σοι τὴν αἴνεσιν, οὐχ ὡς ἐπαισχυνόμενος, λάθρα που καὶ ἐν παραβύστῳ θύσω, φεύγων τὰς μέμψεις τῶν ἀσεβῶν· ἀλλὰ πάνδημόν τινα θυσίαν ἐπιτελέσω, τὸν λαὸν ὅλον κοινωνὸν τῆς λατρείας παραλαβών. Τόπος δὲ ἡμῖν τῆς θυσίας ἀποδειχθήσεται τὰ μέσα καὶ περιφανέστατα τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἀκούσατε, οἱ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καταλιμπάνοντες, καὶ ἐν οἴκοις κοινοῖς συστρεφόμενοι, τὰ ἄθλια τοῦ τιμίου σώματος ἀποῤῥήγματα, ὅτι χρὴ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀποδιδόναι ἐν μέσῳ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ· τουτέστι, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν λατρείαν ἴδιον ἐξῆν ἑκάστῳ πήγνυσθαι θυσιαστήριον, ἀλλ' ἓν ἀποδέδεικτο τοῖς θυσιάζειν προαιρουμένοις. Σὺ δὲ ἀντεγείρεις τῷ τῶν πατέρων θυσιαστηρίῳ βωμὸν, καὶ πῦρ ἀνάπτεις ἀλλότριον ἐπ' αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ τῷ παλαιῷ παραδείγματι σωφρονιζόμενος, ἀνθρώπους κατεφθαρμένους τὸν νοῦν ἐπισπώμενος, καὶ συμμιαίνων αὐτοῖς ἑαυτόν. Ὧν φύγοιτε τὴν μίμησιν, ὑμεῖς ὁ λαὸς τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ μὴ χωρισθείητε τῆς μερίδος τῶν σωζομένων, διαμένοντες ἐν τῇ πίστει, τελειούμενοι ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς τοῦ Κυρίου, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.