Homily 40

that this is the case, it is sufficient to learn from the experience of facts. Let us not, therefore, vainly console ourselves with such words; but let us be attentive, let us be concerned for our salvation, and let us practice virtue, and rouse ourselves to good works, that we may be deemed worthy to attain such glory, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be power, glory, and honor, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY XL

Nothing is more felicitous than those who attain the kingdom of heaven, O brethren, just as nothing is more wretched than those who lose it. For if anyone driven from his fatherland moves everyone to pity, and he who has lost his inheritance seems wretched to all: he who falls from heaven and from the goods stored up there, with how many tears ought he to be bewailed? Nay, rather, not bewailed; for one is bewailed when he suffers something for which he is not himself the cause; but when he has cast himself into wickedness of his own will, he will be worthy, not of tears, but of lamentations; nay, even of mourning. For our Lord Jesus Christ even bewailed and wept over Jerusalem, although it was acting impiously (Luc. 19). We are indeed worthy of a thousand tears, a thousand lamentations. If the whole world were to take up a voice, and stones and trees and beasts and birds and fishes, and the whole world, I say, were to take up a voice and bewail us who have fallen from those goods, it would not weep and lament according to our desert. For what speech, what mind could declare that beatitude, that virtue, pleasure, glory, joy, and splendor? ^B"Things which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man" (1 Cor. 2:9), as someone says, "which God has prepared for those who love him." For what kind of goods is it likely that God is preparing? If, after He made us, before we had done anything, He bestowed such great things—promised paradise, communion with Himself, immortality, a life blessed and void of cares: what will He not bestow upon those who have done so much, who have struggled, who have suffered for Him? He spared not His Only-Begotten for our sake, He handed over His own true Son to death for our sake when we were enemies: of what will He not deem us worthy, if we become His friends? What will He not give us when we are reconciled to Him? And He is very rich and immense, and desires and is concerned to attain our friendship: but we, beloved, are not so concerned to attain it; and why do I say, we are not concerned? We do not wish to attain those goods as He wishes; and that He wishes it more, He showed by what He has done. For we, for our own sake, scarcely despise a little money; but He, for our sake, gave His Son. Let us make use, as is right, of the love of God, let us enjoy His friendship. "For you are my friends," He says, "if you do what I command you" (John 15:14). ^CThose who are distant from Him in every way, from whom He differs in every way above measure, these He calls His friends. What then would not have to be endured for such friendship? For human friendship we often risk our lives; but for the friendship of God do we not even squander our money? Our affairs are indeed worthy of mourning; of mourning, tears, groanings, great lamentations and wailing. We have fallen from our hope, we have been humiliated from our height, we have been seen as unworthy of the honor of God, we have become wicked and ungrateful after having received benefits: the devil has stripped us of all goods. We who had been deemed worthy to be sons and brothers and co-heirs, we differ in no way from His enemies, who have treated Him with injury. What consolation will there be for us at last? He called us to heaven, but we have cast ourselves down to hell. ^DAnd so both lying and theft and adultery have been poured out upon the earth; some mix blood upon blood, others do things worse than bloodshed; many who are injured, many whose goods are seized, pray for a thousand deaths rather than to suffer these things; and were they not restrained by the fear of God, they would lay hands upon themselves, so much do they desire death. Are these not worse than bloodshed? Woe is me, O soul! "Because the pious has perished from the earth, and there is no one who acts rightly among men" (Mic. 7:2). But now let us cry out for ourselves first. But join in the lamentation with me. Perhaps some even refuse and laugh; and for this reason the lamentation must be increased, because we are so insane and demented, and we do not even know that we are insane, but we laugh at things over which we ought to groan. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and injustice of men" (Rom. 1:18). "God shall come manifestly" (Psal. 49:3). "Fire shall go before Him, and round about Him a strong tempest: fire shall burn before Him, and consume His enemies round about" (Psal. 96:3). "The day of the Lord as an oven kindled" (Mal. 4:1). And no one brings these into his mind; but these tremendous and terrible doctrines are despised and trampled upon more than fables; and there is no one who listens, but all laugh. What will be our end? From where shall we find salvation? We have perished, we have been consumed (Num. 17:12); we have become a derision to our enemies, and a byword to the nations and to demons. The devil now thinks high of himself, he exults and rejoices; the angels to whom we have been entrusted, all are in shame and sadness; there is no one who turns, all things have been consumed in vain by us, and we seem to you to be babbling? It is opportune now to call upon heaven, since no one is listening, and to contest the elements: "Hear, O heaven, and listen, O earth, for the Lord has spoken" (Isai. 1:2). Give a hand, reach out, you who have not yet been submerged, to those who have perished through drunkenness; you who are healthy, to the sick; you who are wakeful, to the frenzied and to those who are being driven about. Let no one therefore prefer the favor of a friend to his salvation; and let both the reproach and the rebuke look to his one utility. When fever takes hold, even slaves restrain their master. For when he is burning, the soul being troubled, the slaves

^A restrain him, and he does not take it amiss. When he is raging, they bind him, and he does not count them his enemies. They do not do this because they are his masters, but because they are concerned for his health. If then, in bodily diseases, we suffer such remedies, why do you take offense when someone seeks to save your soul? They are doing it out of love, not out of hatred. ^B If someone sees a house on fire, he does not ask who the person is who brings the water, but is glad that it is brought. So, do not look at who is speaking, but consider the utility of the words. But I am told: “The things you say are always full of tears; they are always full of lamentations.” I did not wish this, believe me, I did not wish it, but it is the pain that compels me. Forgive me, I am forced by grief; I say many things that I do not wish to say. I see the wound is grave, the ^C misfortune inconsolable; the evils that have overtaken us are greater than any consolation; we are perishing. “Who will give water to my head, and fountains of tears to my eyes,” that I may lament (Jer. 9:1)? Let us weep, beloved, let us weep; let us groan. Perhaps there are some here saying: “He speaks only of lamentations to us, always tears.” I did not wish this, believe me, I did not wish it, but to pass over to encomiums and praises: but now is not the time for these. For it is not lamenting, beloved, that is difficult, but to act in a way worthy of lamentation; ^D it is not mourning that is to be shunned, but to do things worthy of mourning. Do not be punished, and I do not mourn; do not die, and I do not weep. But if the body lies dead, you invite everyone to sympathize, and you consider those who do not mourn to be heartless: but when the soul is perishing, do you say not to mourn? But I cannot; I am a father, and I weep; I am a father who loves. Hear what Paul cries out: “My little children, of whom I am again in travail” (Gal. 4:19). What mother in labor utters such bitter cries as he did? If it were possible to see the pyre of his mind, you would see that I am burned more than any woman or maiden who has endured widowhood; she does not mourn her husband, nor a father his son, as I mourn this multitude among us. I see no progress; everything is for slander and accusations; no one sets it as his work to please God. “But,” he says, “let us speak ill of this one, and of that one; this one is unworthy of his rank, that one lives immodestly.” Being ourselves debtors of ten thousand talents, do we judge others for a hundred denarii? And even if we were free of sins, we ought not to do this. “For who differentiates you?” he says. “And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you also received, why do you boast as if you had not received?” (1 Cor. 4:7). But you, why do you judge your brother, being yourself full of ten thousand evils? When you say, “This one is wicked, a plunderer, and base,” consider yourself, and examine your own affairs accurately, and you will repent of what you have said. If, therefore, someone should attempt to weigh our words in church as if in a just balance, among ten thousand talents of worldly speech, he will scarcely find a hundred denarii of spiritual words, or rather not even ten obols. If, therefore, God is to observe these things, who will endure? Considering these things, let us be merciful, forgiving towards those who sin against us. The sins against us are a hundred denarii; but those from us towards God are ten thousand talents. For you know that sins are judged by the quality of the persons; what do I mean? He who insults a private individual has sinned, but not in the same way as he who insults a ruler, and more than him, he who insults a greater ruler, but not in the same way as he who insults the lesser; but he who insults the king, much more. The insult is the same, but because of the excellence of the person, it becomes greater. If he who insults the king has an unbearable punishment because of the prerogative of his person, of how many talents will he be liable who insults God? So that even if we sin the same things against God as against men, not even so is it equal; but as much as the interval between God and men, so much is the interval between those sins and these. Yet now I find the sins to be even more, made great not by the excellence of the person, but by their very nature. And the discourse is indeed terrible and truly fearful, but it must be said so that it might shake and agitate our mind, showing that we fear and honor men much more than God. Consider: the adulterer knows that God sees him, and he despises Him; but if a man sees him, he restrains his desire. Does he not prefer men, does he not insult God, but what is much more grievous, fearing those, he despises Him? For if he sees them, he restrains the flame of desire. Or rather, what flame? It is no longer a flame, but an insult. For if it were not permitted to have a wife, the thing might reasonably be a flame; but now it is excess and wantonness. For if he sees men, he stops his madness; but for God’s long-suffering he cares less. Again, another who is stealing knows that he is plundering, and he tries to deceive men, and makes an apologia to those who accuse him, and puts a cloak upon his defense; but not being able to persuade God, he does not care, he is not ashamed, and he does not honor Him. And if the king commands one to abstain from another’s money, or rather even to give one’s own, we all contribute readily; but when God commands not to plunder, nor to take the things of others, we do not tolerate it. Do you see that we prefer men to God? The statement is burdensome and grievous; but show that it is burdensome, flee the deed; but if you do not fear the deed, how can I believe you when you say that we fear the words and they are burdensome to us? You make yourselves heavy by the deed, and it is no matter; but if I speak the words of the things which you yourselves do, do you take offense? And how is this not absurd? Would that the things from me were false; I would desire myself to receive the reputation of reproach on that day, as having reproached you in vain and to no purpose, rather than to see you accused for such things. And not only do you yourselves prefer men to God, but you also compel others. Many have compelled many servants and children; some have dragged them into marriage when they did not wish it, others to serve in base ministries and to impure love and to plunderings and to greed and to violences; so that the crime is twofold, and they find no pardon even from necessity. For if you yourself do evil things involuntarily, and because of the command of a ruler, then indeed the defense is not sufficient, yet the sin becomes more grievous when you also compel others to fall into the same things. For what pardon could there be for such a one hereafter? I have said these things, not wishing to condemn you, but to show of how much we are debtors to God. For if even when honoring a man equally with God we insult God, much more so when we prefer men. If even these sins committed against men are shown to be much greater against God, how much more when the sin itself is greater and more grievous in its quality? Let everyone examine himself, and he will see that he does everything for the sake of men. We were very...

[LATIN COLUMN] 863 S. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, but to show how great debtors we are to God. For if, when we honor a man and God equally, we insult God, much more [do we do so] when we prefer men to Him. If the same sins committed against men are shown to be far greater when committed against God, how much more so when the sin itself is greater and more grievous? Let a man examine himself, and he will see that he does everything for the sake of men. How blessed we would be if we did as much for the sake of God as we do for the sake of men and for human glory, fear, and honor. ^B If, therefore, we are liable for so many and such great things, we ought from the heart to spare those who do us injury, who plunder our goods, and to forget the injury. For the way to the remission of sins requires no labors, no expenditure of money, nor anything else, but only the will; one need not travel abroad, nor seek the ends of the earth, nor undergo dangers or labors, but it is enough to wish it. What excuse, I ask, shall we have regarding those things which seem difficult, when we do not perform a matter that has such gain and such great utility, and no labor? Can you not renounce money? Can you not bestow wealth upon the needy? Can you not desire some good? Can you not spare one who does you an injury? For if you were not liable for so many things, yet God had commanded you to spare, would it not be necessary to do it? But now, being liable for so many sins, do you not spare? And this, when He demands [payment] from those things which you have from Him. If, therefore, we come to our debtor, he, knowing the situation, honors, receives, and respects us, and shows all benevolence, and yet is not released from the interest, but [it is done] so that He may make us milder regarding the demand; but you, ^C when you owe so much to God, and are commanded to forgive so that you may receive again—do you not forgive? Why, I ask you? Woe to me, what kindness we enjoy! How great is the wickedness we show! How great the sleep! How great the sloth! How easy is virtue! Here there is no need for bodily strength, no money, no power, no friendship, no other thing; but it is enough to wish it, and the whole matter is perfected, having much utility. Was someone annoying to you, did he insult and strike you? Think that you do many similar things against others and against the Lord Himself: forgive and spare: let it come to your mind to say: "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6:13). Think that if you do not forgive, you will not be able to say this with confidence; but if you do forgive, you ask for it as a debt, not because of the nature of the thing, but because of the kindness of the Giver. And how is it equal, for him who forgives his fellow servants, to receive remission of sins against the Lord? And yet we obtain this kindness, because He is rich in mercy and pity. ^D That I may show you, however, that besides that and besides the remission, from the mere fact that you forgive, you bring back gain: think how many friends such a man has, how all everywhere celebrate him with praises. He is a good man who is easily reconciled, who knows not how to remember injuries; as soon as he is wounded, he is healed. Such a man, if he falls into calamity, who will not pity? Who will not forgive him when he sins? Who will not grant grace to him who intercedes for others? Who would not want to be a friend or servant to such a good soul? Yes, I implore you, let us do everything for this matter, not only toward friends and relatives, but even toward servants: "Forgiving," He says, "their threats, knowing that your Lord is in heaven" (Eph. 6:9). If we forgive sins to our neighbor, if we bestow alms, if we are humble (for this too washes away sins; for if the publican, because he only said, "Be merciful to me a sinner" [Luke 18:13], went down justified, much more shall we, if we be humble and contrite, be able to obtain much mercy); if we confess our sins and condemn ourselves: we shall wipe away the greatest part of the filth. For there are many ways that cleanse. Let us therefore oppose the devil from all sides. I have said nothing difficult, nothing harsh. Forgive him who did you evil, pity him who seeks pardon, humble your soul: even if you are a great sinner, you will be able to obtain the kingdom, by these things purging sins and wiping away filth. Would that all, having been purged here of all filth of sins through confession, might obtain there the promised goods, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY XLI

If Paul, writing to Timothy, beloved, commanded servants to use much obedience toward their masters, think how it is that we ought to be affected toward the Lord, who created us from nothing, who sustains and clothes us. If in no other way, at least let us serve Him as our servants serve us. Do they not spend their whole life in this matter, that they may procure rest for their masters; and is this work, is this their life, that they may be anxious about his affairs? Do they not care for what is the master's throughout the whole day, and for their own only in a small part of the evening? We, on the contrary, are always about our own, but about the Lord's [affairs]—not even for a small part of time: and this when He does not need our service, as masters need the work of servants, but when those very things performed for the Lord accrue to our own utility and gain. For there, the service of the servant is useful to the master; here, however, the service of the servant does not benefit the Lord, but rather the servant himself: "For of my goods," He says, "you have no need" (Ps. 15:2). Say to me, for what profit is there to God if I be righteous? What loss, if I be unrighteous? Is not that nature undefiled? Is it not free from all loss and passion? Servants possess nothing of their own, but everything belongs to the master, even if they abound in wealth: we, however, have many possessions, nor is it without cause that we enjoy such honor from the God of all.