THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
“Therefore,” he says, “from one man, and him as good as dead, so many were born.” Here he expresses not only that she gave birth, but also that she became the mother of such a multitude as even fruitful wombs do not have.
“As many as the stars of heaven,” he says. Why, then, are they often numbered in Scripture, when it says, “As no one can number the stars of heaven, so also your seed” (Gen 13:16)? Scripture says this either by way of hyperbole, or with a view to those who are continually born anew.
The forefathers of one family can be counted, as when one descends from this man, and another from that man. But those whose race is compared with the multitude of the stars cannot be numbered.
Read more (1813 words)
Such are the promises of God. So easily is what He has promised fulfilled. If what He promised as an addition is so wondrous, so marvelous, so splendid, what must that be to which it is added, and of which it is the overflow?
Who, then, is more blessed than those who receive these good things? Who is more wretched than those who lose them? All pity a man driven from his fatherland. They count him miserable who has lost his inheritance.
With what tears, then, should one mourn the man who is deprived of heaven and of the good things prepared there? Yet he must not only be mourned. We mourn one who suffers some calamity through no fault of his own.
But one who willingly gives himself over to vices deserves not tears, but wailing. Or rather, he too deserves grief, because our Lord Jesus Christ grieved and wept over Jerusalem, which was impious.
Truly, we are worthy of countless groans and countless lamentations. If the whole universe lifted up its voice, stones, trees, shrubs, beasts, birds, and fish, in a word, the whole universe, and mourned our loss of these good things, even such weeping and lamentation would not suffice.
What word or what mind can set forth that blessedness, that good, delight, glory, joy, gladness, brightness? “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9).
It does not simply say that these good things are surpassing. It says that no one can ever even conceive “what God has prepared for those who love Him.” Indeed, what must those good things be, which God Himself has prepared and ordered?
When He created us, He at once bestowed so much on us before we had done anything. He gave paradise and communion with Himself. He promised immortality, and a blessed life free from cares.
What, then, will He not grant to those who have done, labored, and endured so much for Him? He did not spare the Only-begotten for our sake. He delivered His true Son to death for us.
If He deemed us worthy of such good things when we were His enemies, what will He not deem us worthy of when we become His friends? What will He not grant once He has reconciled us to Himself?
He is boundlessly rich. He has an immeasurable desire and care to make us His friends. But we do not care for this in the least, beloved. What am I saying, that we do not care?
We are not even willing to receive His good things as He desires. That He desires this more than we do, He has proved by His deeds. For our own benefit we would scarcely sacrifice a small portion of gold. He gave His Son for us.
Let us use the love of God as we ought, beloved. Let us make use of His friendly disposition. “You are My friends,” He said, “if you do what I command you” (Jn 15:14).
Alas! Those who were infinitely far from Him, and whom He surpasses beyond comparison in all things, He made and calls His friends. What, then, should we not endure for such friendship?
Yet for friendship with men we often expose ourselves to dangers. For friendship with God, we are unwilling even to spend money.
Truly, we are worthy of pity, grief, tears, cries, great weeping, and lamentation. We have turned away from our hope. We have fallen from our height. We have proved unworthy of the honor of God, ungrateful and useless after His benefactions.
The devil has deprived us of all good things. Having been deemed worthy to be sons, brothers, and co-heirs of God, we differ in no way from His enemies who offend Him.
What consolation will remain for us after this? He called us to heaven, but we have cast ourselves into Gehenna. Swearing and lying, theft and adultery, have spread over the earth.
Some mingle blood with blood. Others do things worse than bloodshed. Many of the wronged and many victims of greed would rather suffer a thousand deaths than endure this.
If they did not fear God, they would lay hands on themselves. So greatly do they desire death. Is this not worse than bloodshed?
“O woe is me!” said the weeping prophet. “The merciful man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men” (Mic 7:1-2).
Let us also weep now, first of all for ourselves. And you, take part in my weeping. But perhaps this is displeasing to some, and they laugh. For that reason the weeping must be intensified still more.
We are so mad and insensible that we do not understand our madness. We laugh at what we should weep over. “For the wrath of God,” O man, “is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Rom 1:18).
“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. A fire shall devour before Him, and a mighty tempest shall be round about Him” (Ps 49:3). “Fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about” (Ps 96:3).
“For behold, the day comes, burning like an oven” (Mal 4:1). Yet no one thinks of this. They regard such fearful and terrible things as worse than fables, and despise them. No one listens. All laugh and mock.
What benefit, then, will there be for us? From where shall we receive salvation? We are lost. We are spent. We have become the mockery of our enemies, and a reproach to the nations and to the demons.
The devil now boasts, puffs himself up, and rejoices. The angels to whom we have been entrusted are ashamed and grieve. There is no one who is corrected. All our labors are in vain, and it seems to you that we are speaking nonsense.
It is timely even now to cry out to heaven. Since no one listens, let us summon the elements as witnesses: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken” (Isa 1:2).
You who have not yet fallen, give help. Stretch out your hand to those fallen through drunkenness. You who are strong, help the weak. You who are sound in mind, help those who are raging. You who stand firm, help those who waver.
I exhort you: let no one set pleasantness above the salvation of his neighbor. Let rebukes and admonitions alike aim at one thing, his benefit.
When fever takes hold of masters, even servants govern them. When the soul of a master is in fever and weakness, none of the servants around him carries out his commands to his harm.
Let us come to our senses, I beg you. Around us there are daily wars, shipwrecks, countless calamities, and the wrath of God hems us in on every side. Yet we remain as calm as though we were doing what pleases God.
All of us stretch out our hands toward greed, and no one toward helping our neighbors. All stretch them out toward plunder, and no one toward assistance. Each strives to increase his property, and no one to help the needy.
Each takes every care to gather more money, and no one to save his soul. All fear one thing, lest they become poor. No one is troubled or trembles lest he fall into Gehenna.
All this is worthy of tears, rebukes, and condemnation. I would not wish to speak of this, but grief compels me. Forgive me. Grief makes me say many things I would not wish to say.
I see a grievous wound, an inconsolable calamity. The disasters that have befallen us surpass every consolation. We are lost. “O that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night” (Jer 9:1).
Let us weep, beloved. Let us weep and lament. Perhaps some here say, “He tells us everything about weeping, everything about tears.” I would not wish it, believe me, I would not. On the contrary, I would wish to praise and glorify.
But now is a time for tears. It is not weeping that is grievous, beloved, but doing what is worthy of tears. We must not flee from tears, but from the deeds that are worthy of tears.
Do not punish yourself, and I will not grieve. Do not die, and I will not weep. When a dead man lies before you, you summon everyone to share in grief, and you call those who do not weep merciless.
But when a soul is perishing, why do you advise me not to weep? I cannot be a father and not weep. I am a tenderly loving father. Hear what Paul says: “My little children, for whom I again travail in birth” (Gal 4:19).
What mother, when giving birth, utters such bitter cries as he does? If it were possible to see the heat within my soul, you would see that I burn from it more than any wife or maiden subjected to untimely bereavement.
A wife does not weep so much for her husband, nor a mother for her son, as I weep for all of you together. I see no progress. Everything turns into slander and condemnation.
No one strives to please God. We only revile this person and that one. We say, “Such a man is unworthy to be in the clergy,” or, “Such a man lives impiously.”
When we ought to mourn our own vices, we condemn others. Yet we should not do this even if we were pure from sins. “For who makes you differ?” the Apostle says. “What do you have that you did not receive?
And if you received it, why do you boast as though you had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7). How do you condemn your brother, when you yourself are filled with countless evils?
When you say, “Such a man is evil, harmful, and corrupt,” then turn your attention to yourself. Examine your own deeds carefully, and you will repent of your words.
No, truly there is no stronger impulse toward virtue than the remembrance of one’s own sins. If we constantly keep these two rules, we shall be able to receive the promised good things. We shall be able to cleanse ourselves and wash ourselves.
Only we must root this in our mind. We must take care for this, beloved. Let us, then, give ourselves here to sorrow in thought, so that there we may not experience the sorrow of punishment.
Rather, may we enjoy the eternal good things, where there is no sickness, sorrow, or sighing. May we attain the eternal good things that surpass the human mind, in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.