John Chrysostom, On the Publican and Pharisee

In publicanum et pharisaeum

On the Publican, and on the Pharisee.

62.723 The passion of avarice desires covetousness; but it is healed through almsgiving, when it runs to repentance. The way of fornication pursues sin; but the weeping of repentance heals this, and shows the soul purer than the sun, flashing with the virtues of chastity. And the inhumanity of robbery, when it changes the deeds of blood-guilt, and cries out to Christ: "Do not deprive me, O Christ, of your kingdom," his soul enters into paradise. The error of idolatry also has a medicine of healing, when it faithfully accepts the preached Christ, and renounces the error of lawlessness, and clothes itself in the grace of piety, through baptism, which signifies the eternal Trinity in the three invocations of God.

The filth of hatred for one's brother is also washed away, when with a sound mind they accept that evangelical saying: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Who does not rejoice to be called a child of God and the Father? For God fashioned man, and upholds the world with a philanthropic nod, and all things yield to his will, and by an excess of goodness He brought visible things from non-being into being, placing man as a steward 62.724 of his creations; so that by becoming faithful he might receive the reward of the five talents, and rule over the ten cities recorded in the Gospels. But if someone entrusted with one talent is found to be lazy, and hides it, and does not bring to the master double the value, that is, along with the sensible also the intelligible man, but begins to say: "I was afraid because you are a harsh man," and the rest of the words of ingratitude and perversity; then even what he has will be taken from him, and he will be cast into the furnace of fire.

For this world was given as a training ground, which sometimes provides sorrow to men, and sometimes joy. But he who has lived thankfully in both of these, will be entrusted with the kingdom of heaven. For just as the flow of abundant waters, receiving what flows upon it, raises up bubbles, and some of them burst as soon as they are formed, while others, having swelled more, afterwards also burst; in the same way the sea of life has also covered those who appeared for a short time, and has submerged those who lasted longer. Therefore let us take up the discourse again: Every occasion of sin has the swift grace of remission, when it has repentance running before it. The decay of pride is a disease difficult to cure, a pretext for misanthropy, a haughty fall, 62.725 an elevation cast down by itself, a shadowy fantasy, a reed shaken by the wind, smoke rising into the air and dissolving into nothing.

What do you think, O arrogant one, that you possess more than the poor man? Nothing. Do you see a different heaven, while he is scorched by the sun's ray? When the air becomes frosty, are you warmed by the sun, while he is chilled by the cold? Does he not breathe the same air? Does he not walk on the same earth? Is he not clothed in the same body? Should you not rather give thanks to God who entrusted you with so much, as much as the needy man is capable of measuring? I tell you, brother, this ought rather to urge you to humility. For the rich man, being moderate, shows his love for mankind; for the poor man has humility even if he does not want it. You therefore will then be shown

In publicanum et pharisaeum

Εἰς τὸν Τελώνην, καὶ εἰς τὸν Φαρισαῖον.

62.723 Τῆς φιλαργυρίας τὸ πάθος ἐπιθυμεῖ τὴν πλεονεξίαν· ἀλλὰ θεραπεύεται διὰ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης, ὅταν εἰς με τάνοιαν δράμῃ. Τῆς πορνείας ὁ τρόπος καταδιώκει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· ἀλλὰ ταύτην ἰατρεύει ὁ κλαυθμὸς τῆς μετανοίας, καὶ δείκνυσιν ἡλίου καθαρωτέραν τὴν ψυχὴν, ταῖς τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀρεταῖς ἀπαστράπτουσαν. Τῆς δὲ λῃστείας τὸ ἀπάνθρωπον, ὅταν μεταβάλῃ τὰς πράξεις τῆς μιαιφονίας, καὶ κράξῃ τῷ Χριστῷ· Μὴ στερήσῃς με, Χριστὲ, τῆς σῆς βασιλείας, εἰσέρχεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. Τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἡ πλάνη καὶ αὐτὴ ἔχει φάρμακον ἰάσεως, ὅταν προσδέ ξηται πιστῶς τὸν κηρυττόμενον Χριστὸν, καὶ τῆς πα ρανομίας τὴν πλάνην ἀποκηρύξῃ, καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας τὴν χάριν ἐν αὐτῇ περιβάλῃ, διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, τοῦ ἐν τρισὶ Θεοῦ ἐπικλήσεσι τὴν ἀΐδιον Τριάδα σημαίνον τος.

Τῆς μισαδελφίας ὁ βόρβορος καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποπλύνε ται, ὅταν εὐγνώμονι λογισμῷ δέξωνται τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν ἐκεῖνο λόγιον· Μακάριοι οἱ εἰρηνοποιοὶ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ κληθήσονται. Τίς οὐ χαίρει τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ὀνομάζεσθαι τέκνον; Ὅτι ἐπλαστούργησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ διακρατεῖ τὸν κόσμον φιλανθρώπῳ νεύματι, καὶ τῷ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ εἴκει τὰ σύμπαντα, ὑπερβολῇ ἀγαθότητός τε ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγε τὰ ὁρώμενα, θέμενος τὸν ἄνθρωπον οἰκονό 62.724 μον τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων· ἵνα γενόμενος πιστὸς ἀπο λάβῃ τὸν μισθὸν τῶν πέντε ταλάντων, καὶ ἄρξῃ τῶν δέκα πόλεων τῶν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ἀναγεγραμμένων. Εἰ δέ τις εὑρεθῇ ὀκνηρὸς ἓν τάλαντον πιστευθεὶς, κατα κρύψῃ δὲ τοῦτο, καὶ μὴ προσάγῃ τῷ δεσπότῃ διπλοῦν τὸ τίμημα, τουτέστι, σὺν τῷ αἰσθητῷ καὶ τὸν νοητὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλ' ἄρξηται λέγειν· Ἐφοβήθην ὅτι ἄνθρω πος αὐστηρὸς εἶ, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ῥήματα τῆς ἀχαριστίας καὶ δυστροπίας· τότε ἀρθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ὃ ἔχει, καὶ ἐκβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός.

Ὁ γὰρ κόσμος οὗτος γυμνάσιον ἐδόθη, ὅστις ποτὲ τὸ λυπεῖσθαι παρέχει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ποτὲ δὲ τὸ χαίρειν. Ὁ δὲ ἐν ἀμφοτέροις τούτοις εὐχαρίστως βιώσας, πιστευθήσεται τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ τῶν πλου σίων ὑδάτων φορὰ δεξαμένη τὸ ἐπιῤῥέον, πομφόλυγας διανίστησι, καὶ αἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἅμα τῷ γενέσθαι ἐῤῥά γησαν, αἱ δὲ πλέον ὀγκωθεῖσαι, μετέπειτα καὶ αὐταὶ ἐῤῥάγησαν· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ θάλασσα τοῦ βίου, τοὺς μὲν πρὸς ὀλίγον φανέντας ἐκάλυψε, τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖον διαρκέσαντας καὶ αὐτοὺς κατεπόντισε. ∆ιὸ τὸν λόγον ἐπαναλάβωμεν· Πᾶσα ἁμαρτίας ὑπόθεσις ταχεῖαν ἔχει τῆς ἀφέσεως τὴν χάριν, ὅταν μετάνοιαν ἔχῃ προ τρέχουσαν. Τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἡ σηπεδὼν δυσθεράπευ τον νόσημα, μισανθρωπίας πρόσχημα, γαῦρον πτῶμα 62.725 ὕψωμα ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ καταβαλλόμενον, φαντασία σκιώδης, κάλαμος ὑπ' ἀνέμου σαλευόμενος, καπνὸς εἰς ἀέρα ὑψούμενος καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν διαλυόμενος.

Τί νομίζεις, ἆ ἀλαζὸν, πλεῖον κεκτῆσθαι τοῦ πένητος; Οὐδέν. Μὴ σὺ μὲν ἄλλον οὐρανὸν ὁρᾷς, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος καταφλέγεται; μὴ σὺ, ὅταν γένηται κρυμώδης ὁ ἀὴρ, σὺ μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου θάλπῃ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τῷ κρύει ψύχεται; οὐχ ὁμοίως ἀναπνεῖται τὸν ἀέρα; οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν βαδίζεται γῆν; οὐ τὸ αὐτὸ σῶμα περιβέβλη ται; οὐ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστεῖν ὀφείλεις τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σοι πιστεύσαντι τοσαῦτα, ὅσα ὁ ἐνδεὴς μετρῆσαι ἐπαρκεῖ; Λέγω σοι, ἀδελφὲ, τοῦτό σε μᾶλλον ὀφείλει προτρέπειν εἰς ταπεινοφροσύνην. Ὁ γὰρ πλούσιος μετριάζων δεί κνυσι τὸ φιλάνθρωπον· ὁ πένης γὰρ καὶ μὴ θέλων ἔχει τὴν ταπείνωσιν. Σὺ οὖν τότε δειχθήσῃ