811 S. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE
and abundance of possessions? What wind has rushed in and blown everything away? And what is the meaning of that fleeting and useless expense on funerals, which brings great loss to those who bear the cost, but no benefit to the deceased? When you hear that the Lord rose from the dead naked, abandon your madness in caring for a funeral. For Christ, when He said, "For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was naked and you clothed Me," He did not add to these: "For I was dead and you buried Me." For if He commands us to have nothing more than clothing while we are alive, how much more so for the dead? What excuse, therefore, shall we have when we adorn a body that is dissolving into corruption and worms, while we despise Christ who is hungry and thirsty, who wanders about naked and is a stranger? But, he says, the dead man lying on his bed shows signs of his pride and wealth, while splendid garments are put upon him, and the poor and rich lead him forth, and the people pray for his success. But even these are most worthy of scorn; yet these too shall immediately be refuted like a fading flower. For when we have crossed the threshold of the city gates, and, with the body abandoned to the worms, we return, I will ask you again: Where has all that multitude of people gone? What now is that shouting and tumult? Where are those faces now, where are the choirs of women? Are these not a dream? And what is that clamor? 812 Where are those many mouths that were shouting and encouraging him to be of good cheer, because no one is immortal? Yet these things should not have been said to someone who was not listening; but when he was plundering, when he was acting greedily, then it would have been necessary to say, as we alternated: "One must not be confident; no one is immortal." If someone were to build a house for you where you were not going to stay, you would consider it a loss: yet now you desire to become rich here, from where you must often leave even before evening. Restrain this madness, curb this desire. Say instead, "Be of good cheer," to him who suffers injury. But even if these things do not profit him, since he has already left the stadium, at least let those who are held by the same diseases and accompany him to the tomb listen. For since they do not perceive any of these things in their minds before, due to the drunkenness of money: at least at that time, when the very sight of the one lying there gives credence to what is said, let them come to their senses, let them be schooled, understanding that a little while later, those who lead them away will also lead them to those terrible reckonings, and to pay the penalty for the evils they have committed here. Therefore, let us not suffer the same things as them; let us endeavor, to the best of our ability, to come to our senses and mend our ways, so that we may attain the future blessings as well, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and imperium, with the Father and the life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY XXXII. On Magnanimity and Fortitude.
Ignorance makes the soul sluggish and effeminate, not by nature, but by the choice of the will. For when I see him who was once magnanimous now become effeminate, I say that the vice is not of nature; for those things which are of nature are immutable. Again, when I see the sluggish suddenly become bolder, I make the same calculation. For the disciples were very sluggish before they were properly instructed, and were counted worthy of the gift of the Spirit, and finally they became bolder than lions. And Peter, who had not endured the threats of a slave-girl, was hung upside down and scourged, and, facing a thousand dangers, did not keep silent. Therefore, one must neither avoid dangers, nor must one rush headlong into them: for in this way our victory will be more glorious, and the devil's defeat more worthy of derision. For those who are dragged into them must stand firmly, and those who are called must be at rest, and wait for the time of the trials, so that we may exhibit both a contempt for vainglory and fortitude. For to exhibit boldness rashly often belongs to the common crowd of men; but to use it at an opportune time, and when one ought, and with moderation and prudence, is the sign of a very great and wonderful mind. For that man alone is magnanimous, even if he lies on a bed, who is endowed with inward fortitude: without it, even if he could tear up a mountain by his strength, I would not call him stronger than a girl or an old woman. For the former struggles with incorporeal evils, which the latter would not even dare to look at. Do you wish, therefore, to learn that no one is stronger than he who is fortified with help from above, and no one weaker than he who is devoid of that help, even if that truly strong man is surrounded by a thousand armies? David was quite young, and because of his immature age remained in his father's house, when he is sent by his father to visit his brothers. When, therefore, he arrived there and saw the war being brought on by Goliath the alien, and the entire people terrified along with their king; he wanted to be a spectator, and went to see a new and stupendous thing: that a single man was provoking so many thousands of men. And he said, "Who is this alien who reproaches the army of the living God, and what will be given to the man who will cut off his head?" (1 Reg. 17:26). Having learned this, Saul summons the young man, who knew nothing more than the shepherd's office; and having seen his age, he looked down upon him. Then, when he had learned from him how he had dealt with bears when they were invading the flock, he wanted to cover him with his own armor; but he, when he had put these on, was unable to bear them. This, however, was done so that the naked power of God might be shown, which was working through him, lest they should attribute the feat to those weapons. For because he was limping while wearing them, he put off the arms; and having taken up the shepherd's scrip with stones, he thus proceeded against that tower of flesh. But look again at the alien who despises the baseness of his age and on that account holds the righteous one in contempt. For when he saw him approaching with the shepherd's scrip, and bursting in with only stones, he addresses him in these words: "Do you think, as you did before, that you are tending a flock and chasing away some dogs? And therefore, driving me off like some dog, you approach to fight me with the same weapons? Now you will learn by experience that you are not to contend against an ordinary man." And using magnificent words, he was breaking in, moving all his armor, and [the] weapons [of the] ...
A tyrant, and he was contemplating Him who reigns above; he saw the torments being brought upon him below, and he was counting the prizes above; he saw the present punishment, and he was weighing the future immortality. But was not Esau greater? Was he not the firstborn? Was he not beloved by his father? But, by betraying himself through sin, he fell from the birthright, and was condemned to serve the younger. For the Lord said, he says, to Rebecca, through the priest: "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples in your belly shall be divided; and people shall be stronger than people, and the greater shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25: 23). See the prediction clearly indicating all that was to happen. For indeed, the children leaping and jumping in the womb already accurately predicted all things. Finally, the woman learned not only that she would bear two sons, but also that they would extend into nations, and that the younger would rule over the greater. And when finally the time of childbearing arrived, "he came out," it says, "the firstborn, red, as a hairy skin; and after these things his brother came out, and his hand was holding his brother's heel; and he called his name Jacob" (Ibid. v. 24-26). B Indeed, even from the very beginning, God was showing that the younger would be superior to the elder, according to what was said. For he was holding, it says, the heel of Esau with his hand, which was a sign that he was to be a conqueror of him who seemed to be the strong one.
But when the time calls, I shall now hasten the discourse to the most blessed Paul; for I am burning with desire for the man, and for this reason I do not cease to turn back to him constantly. Let no one therefore be wearied by the enterprise. For if a barbarian war surrounded us, and the enemies were providing us with countless problems in the line of battle, then the general of the barbarians—he who brings countless machines and confuses all our affairs and fills everything with great din and turmoil, and threatens to raze the very city and deliver it to fire, and threatens us with slavery C — were suddenly bound by our King, a captive being led into the city, would we not all, with wives and children, rush out to that spectacle?
Since, however, a war has now been established, with the Jews raising a din and troubling everything, and bringing many machines against the security of the Church, and the head of the enemies is Paul—he who does and says greater things than all, he who confuses and troubles everything—but our Lord Jesus Christ, our King, has bound him, has bound and led him captive: shall we not all go out to this spectacle, so as to see him being led captive? For indeed, the angels from the heavens, seeing him bound and brought in, were exulting—not because they saw him bound, but because they were considering how many men he was about to release from bonds; D not because they beheld him being led by the hand, but because they were calculating how many he was about to lead by the hand from earth to heaven; not because they saw him blinded, but because they considered how many he was about to lead out of darkness. For this reason I too, leaving behind all others, hasten to leap toward Paul; for Paul, and the desire for Paul, has compelled us to take this leap. For what could be more fervent than the bowels of this man, who was running throughout the inhabited world, being dragged about, stoned, bound, so that he might release those who were bound and translate them unto himself? For he was not accomplishing these things as one struggling, but as one coming for a ready and prepared victory. Thus he was erecting trophies, razing, overthrowing, cast down the strongholds of the devil and the machines of the demons, and he did not breathe even for a little, leaping from these to those, and again from those to others, and just like a most excellent general, setting up trophies every single day...
A nay, indeed, at every hour. For entering into the battle with but a tunic, he would capture cities along with their inhabitants. The tongue of Paul was his bow, his spear, his javelin, and all his weaponry. For he would only speak, and his words, falling upon the enemies more vehemently than fire, would drive out the demons and bring back the men held captive by them to himself.
For when he cast out that evil spirit, five times ten thousand magicians came together, burned their magic books, and transferred themselves to the truth. And just as in war, when a tower falls or a tyrant is cast down, all those who were with him throw down their weapons and hasten to the general; so too did it happen then. For the demon having been cast out, all who were besieged, throwing down their books—or rather, cutting them loose—hastened to the feet of Paul.
B He, however, having pitched his camp across the entire world, did not stand still anywhere, but, as if he were winged, did everything at once; now he raised the lame, now he restored the dead, now he blinded another—I mean a magician. And not even when locked in prison did he keep quiet, but even there he brought the jailer over to himself, working this beautiful captivity. David is admired, who struck down Goliath with a single stone; but if one examines the mighty deeds of Paul, that seems the work of a little child; and as great as the difference is between a shepherd and a general, so great is the difference between that feat and this. For this man did not strike down the spiritual Goliath with a cast of a stone, but simply by speaking, he shattered the entire phalanx of the devil. And like a roaring lion, emitting flame from his tongue, so was he formidable as he rushed [upon them], C and he was untiring as he went about everywhere. He would run to these, he would come to those, he would be transferred to these, he would hasten to others, moving faster than the wind, and as if governing the whole world like a single house or a single ship; bringing back those who were sinking, strengthening those who were reeling, commanding the sailors, sitting at the prow of the ship, examining the mast, stretching the ropes, handling the rudder, pulling the sail, looking up to heaven—he was everything, sailor, pilot, prow-man, sail, and ship itself; suffering everything, so that he might remedy the evils of others.
And as a certain athlete, fighting, running, or boxing; or a soldier storming walls, fighting on foot, or repelling an enemy on a ship: so did he engage in every kind of combat, breathing fire, and yet was he unapproachable, taking the world into one body and conquering all with a single tongue. Not so did those many trumpets strike the stones of the city of Jericho and throw them down, as the resounding D voice of Paul leveled the demonic fortifications to the ground, and transferred the enemies to himself. And through a window he was let down from the wall, so that having been placed below, he might send upward those who were cast down upon the ground. And just as one soldier, having the entire world fighting against him, might be in the midst of the enemy wedges and suffer nothing evil, so too did Paul, alone among barbarians, among Greeks, everywhere on land, everywhere on the seas, remain unassailable. And just as a spark falling into chaff and hay, which it consumes and converts into its own nature, so too did this man, approaching all, transfer everyone to the truth. For what tell me, I pray, is more glorious than Nero according to the glory of the world, or what is more high? But what is more vile than Paul, what more abject