The remedy: judge goods as instruments, not as the good itself
Basil has just finished describing the destructiveness of envy and now turns to the cure, beginning with how to regard worldly goods.
What then? Shall we stop the discourse at the accusation of the evil? But this is only half the healing. To show the sick person the magnitude of his disease, so as to make him take the evil seriously, is not useless. But to leave him there, without leading him by the hand toward health, is nothing other than to send the sick person away abandoned to his sickness. What then? How might we avoid suffering the disease from the beginning, or escape it once we have been caught? First, if we judge nothing human to be great or supernatural: not the wealth that exists among people, not the glory that blooms and fades, not the body's vigor. For we are not called to define the good in things that pass away, but to share in eternal and true goods. So the rich man is not yet enviable because of his wealth; nor the ruler because of the bulk of his dignity; nor the strong man because of his bodily power; nor the wise man because of his abundance of speech. For these are instruments of virtue for those who use them well; they do not in themselves possess blessedness. The one who uses them badly is pitiable, like a man who takes a sword he received for defense against enemies and willingly wounds himself with it. But if a man handles present things well and according to right reason, and is a steward of what comes from God, not treasuring them up for his own enjoyment, he is rightly praised and loved because of his brother-loving and sharing character. Again, someone excels in wisdom, and has been honored with the word of God, and is an interpreter of sacred oracles. Do not envy such a person, and do not ever wish the interpreter of sacred things to fall silent, if by the grace of the Spirit some acceptance and praise from the hearers follows him. For the good is yours, and the gift of teaching was sent to you through your brother, if you are willing to receive it. No one blocks up a gushing spring; no one covers his eyes when the sun shines, nor envies those things, but prays to share in their enjoyment. But when spiritual speech gushes in the Church, and a devout heart springs from the gifts of the Spirit, do you not hold out your ears with gladness? Do you not receive the benefit with gratitude? Instead, the applause of the hearers bites you, and you would wish that neither the one being helped nor the one praising existed. What defense will these things have before the judge of our hearts? By nature, then, one must consider the good of the soul to be beautiful. And the one overflowing with wealth, and thinking great things because of his power, and his body's vigor, and using well what he has—love him and cherish him, as one who possesses the common instruments of life, if indeed he handles these things according to right reason: so that by the supply of his money he is ungrudging to those in need, and with his body he provides service to the weak; and he considers all the rest of his abundance no more his own than that of anyone in need. But the one who is not so disposed toward these things, consider him wretched rather than enviable, since he has greater starting points for being bad.
Greek
Τί οὖν; ἐν τῇ κατηγορίᾳ τοῦ κακοῦ τὸν λόγον στήσομεν; Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ὥσπερ ἥμισύ τί ἐστι τῆς ἰατρείας. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ δεῖξαι τῷ κάμνοντι τῆς νόσου τὸ μέγε θος, ὥστε ἀξίαν ἐμποιῆσαι αὐτῷ τοῦ κακοῦ τὴν φροντίδα, οὐκ ἄχρηστον· τὸ δὲ ἄχρι τούτου καταλιπεῖν, μὴ πρὸς τὴν ὑγίειαν χειραγωγήσαντα, οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ ἔκδοτον ἀφεῖναι τῇ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ τὸν κάμνοντα. Τί οὖν; πῶς ἂν μὴ πάθοιμεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὴν νόσον, ἢ ὑπαχθέντες ἐκφύγοιμεν; Εἰ πρῶτον μὲν μηδὲν μέγα, μηδὲ ὑπερφυὲς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κρίνοιμεν· μὴ εὐπορίαν τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις· μὴ δόξαν τὴν ἀπανθοῦσαν· μὴ σώματος εὐεξίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς παρερχομένοις ὁριζόμεθα εἶναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν καὶ ἀληθινῶν μετ ουσίαν κεκλήμεθα. Ὥστε ὁ πλουτῶν οὔπω ζηλωτός ἐστι διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον· οὐχ ὁ δυνάστης διὰ τὸν ὄγκον τοῦ ἀξιώματος, οὐχ ὁ ἰσχυρὸς διὰ τὴν ῥώμην τοῦ σώματος, οὐχ ὁ σοφὸς διὰ τὴν τοῦ λόγου περιου σίαν. Ὄργανα γάρ ἐστι ταῦτα τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῖς κα λῶς κεχρημένοις, οὐκ αὐτὰ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔχοντα τὸ μα κάριον. Ὁ μὲν οὖν κακῶς αὐτοῖς κεχρημένος, ἐλεει νὸς, ὡς ὁ τῷ ξίφει, ὃ ἔλαβε πρὸς τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἄμυναν, τούτῳ ἑκουσίως ἑαυτὸν κατατιτρώσκων· εἰ δὲ καλῶς καὶ κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον τὰ παρόντα με ταχειρίζεται, καὶ οἰκονόμος ἐστὶ τῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ, οὐχὶ δὲ πρὸς ἰδίαν ἀπόλαυσιν θησαυρίζει, ἐπαινεῖσθαι καὶ ἀγαπᾶσθαι δίκαιός ἐστι διὰ τὸ φιλάδελφον καὶ κοινωνικὸν τοῦ τρόπου. Πάλιν φρονήσει τις διαφέ ρει, καὶ λόγῳ Θεοῦ τετίμηται, καὶ ἐξηγητής ἐστιν ἱερῶν λογίων· μὴ φθονήσῃς τῷ τοιούτῳ, μηδὲ βουληθῇς ποτε σιωπῆσαι τὸν τῶν ἱερῶν ὑποφήτην, εἰ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτι ἀποδοχή τις καὶ ἔπαινος ἐκ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀκολουθεῖ. Σὸν γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἀγα θὸν, καί σοι ἐπέμφθη διὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τῆς διδασκα λίας τὸ δῶρον, ἐὰν ὑποδέξασθαι θέλῃς. Εἶτα, πηγὴν μὲν βρύουσαν οὐδεὶς ἐμφράσσει· καὶ ἡλίου λάμποντος οὐδεὶς τὰς ὄψεις ἐπικαλύπτει, οὐδὲ βασκαίνει ἐκείνοις, ἀλλ' ἑαυτῷ συνεύχεται τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν· λόγου δὲ πνευματικοῦ ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ βρύοντος, καὶ καρδίας εὐσεβοῦς ἐκ τῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ Πνεύματος πηγαζούσης, οὐχ ὑπέχεις τὰς ἀκοὰς μετ' εὐφροσύνης; οὐκ εὐχαρίστως ὑποδέχῃ τὴν ὠφέλειαν; Ἀλλὰ δάκνει σε ὁ κρότος τῶν ἀκουόντων, καὶ ἐβουλήθης ἂν μήτε τὸν ὠφελούμενον εἶναι, μήτε τὸν ἐπαινοῦντα. Τίνα ταῦτα ἀπολογίαν ἕξει ἐπὶ τοῦ κριτοῦ τῶν καρδιῶν ἡμῶν; Φύσει μὲν οὖν εἶναι καλὸν ἡγεῖσθαι χρὴ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγαθόν· τὸν δὲ ὑπερανθοῦντα τῷ πλούτῳ, καὶ δυναστείᾳ μέγα φρονοῦντα, καὶ εὐεξίᾳ σώματος, καὶ καλῶς μὲν κεχρημένον οἷς ἔχει, ἀγαπᾷν καὶ περιέπειν, ὡς κοινὰ τὰ τοῦ βίου ὄργανα κεκτημένον, εἴπερ δὴ ταῦτα κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον μεταχειρίζοιτο· ὡς τῇ μὲν τῶν χρημάτων χορηγίᾳ ἄφθονος εἶναι τοῖς δεομένοις, τῷ σώματι δὲ ὑπηρεσίαν παρέχειν τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσι· πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν λοιπὴν περιουσίαν οὐ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοῦ νομίζειν, ἢ καὶ οὑτινοσοῦν τῶν ἐπιδεομένων· τὸν δὲ μὴ οὕτω πρὸς ταῦτα διακείμενον ἄθλιον τίθεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπίφθονον, εἰ μείζονας ἔχει πρὸς τὸ κακὸς εἶναι τὰς ἀφορμάς.