John Chrysostom, In illud Memor fui dei

In illud: Memor fui dei

Εἰς τὸ, "Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ηὐφράνθην."

61.689 Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ηὐφράνθην, ὁ μελῳδὸς ἐμαρτυρήσατο ∆αυΐδ. Οὐκ

ἐξ οἰκείας φύσεως ἐμαρτύρατο, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκελάδησεν· οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σοφῶς ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐλιτάνευσεν· οὐκ ἀπὸ χειλέων μόνον ἐμέμνητο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ καρδία ἐδίδαξεν· οὐκ ἐν νυκτὶ ἢ ἡμέρᾳ ἐπελανθάνετο ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα αἰτῶν κατὰ πᾶσαν ὥραν ἐμέμνητο.

Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐ ψεῦδος διαγράφομεν, ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἐγγράφου ἱστορίας τὰς μελωδίας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τρυγήσωμεν. Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ηὐφράνθην, εἶπεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ. Καὶ εἰ θέλεις γνῶναι ἀληθῶς, ὅτι καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐμέμνητο ὁ ∆αυῒδ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μνημονεύων ηὐφραίνετο, μετὰ πολλῆς φιληκοΐας πρόσεχε τὰ λεγόμενα· Ἐμνήσθην ἐν νυκτὶ τοῦ ὀνόματός σου, Κύριε· καὶ, Μνησθήσομαι τοῦ ὀνόματός σου ἐν πάσῃ γενεᾷ καὶ γενεᾷ· Μεσονύκτιον ἐξεγειρόμην τοῦ ἐξομολογήσασθαί σοι, Κύριε· Ἐν τοῖς ὄρθροις ἐμελέτων εἰς σέ. Ἑσπέρας καὶ πρωῒ καὶ μεσημβρίας διηγήσομαι καὶ ἀπαγγελῶ· Ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω. Καὶ πάλιν, Τοῦ ἀναγγέλλειν τῷ πρωῒ τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου κατὰ νύκτα. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὥρα ἀργὴ, ἐν ᾗ ἐπελανθάνετο; οὐχ ἑωθινὴ, ἢ νυκτερινή. Εἴ γε θέλεις μαθεῖν ἀληθῶς, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐμνημόνευσε τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ συνοχῆς καρδίας, ἄκουε· Ἐκ βαθέων ἐκέκραξά σοι, Κύριε· Κύριε, ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν εὐθύτητι καρδίας. Καὶ ἵνα πασῶν τῶν ὡρῶν πέρας ἐπάγῃ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, εἶτα λέγει· Ὡς ἠγάπησα τὸν νόμον σου, Κύριε! ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελέτη μού ἐστιν. Ἰδοὺ ὡς ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελετῶν τὰ λόγια Κυρίου, καὶ μεμνημένος τοῦ Θεοῦ παρ' ἕκαστα, ποίας ἀπέλαβε χάριτος ἀξίωμα; ἆρα ἐπὶ γῆς τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἐκολπώσατο; Οἶμαι καὶ αὐτὸν διαπρέποντα καὶ βασιλεύοντα ἐπιγείως· ὧδε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑποτάττοντα, κἀκεῖ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἐπιτάττοντα· ὧδε τῆς ἐπιγείου βασιλείας τὴν πορφύραν φορέσαντα, καὶ ἐκεῖ τῆς ἐν οὐρανῷ βασιλείας τὴν δόξαν ἀπαστράψαντα· ὧδε τῆς εὐφωνίας τὰς φωνὰς καταλάμψαντα τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, κἀκεῖ τῆς παναρέτου σοφίας τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς καταυγάσαντα.

Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν μερικῶς ὑπογράφομεν. Τούτων δὲ πάντων τὸ κρεῖττον ἐκληρώσατο. Ὡς γὰρ εἶδε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον συνεχῶς τὸν Θεὸν παρὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ὑμνούμενον ἐπὶ γῆς, λοιπὸν εἰς οὐρανοὺς τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἐχώρησεν εἰς πρεσβείαν λέγον· Κύριε, ἐφ' ἑκάστης ὁ ∆αυῒδ μνημονεύει σου, καὶ μνημονεύων εὐφραίνεται· καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτοῦ μνήσθητι, Κύριε, Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ λέγει· Μνήσθητι, Κύριε, τοῦ ∆αυῒδ καὶ πάσης τῆς πραότητος αὐτοῦ. Λοιπὸν ἀποκρίνεται ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεός· Ἐπειδὴ συνεχῶς καὶ συνετῶς μνημονεύει μου ὁ ∆αυῒδ, κἀγὼ ἐπὶ πάντων κηρύξω τὴν ἐμὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον διάθεσιν καὶ ἀγάπην· ὑπὲρ ἁγίους καὶ ἀγγέλους καὶ δυνάμεις αὐτὸν μεγαλυνῶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τί λέγων; 61.690 Εὗρον ∆αυῒδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου, ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου· καὶ, Πρωτότοκον θήσομαι αὐτὸν, ὑψηλὸν παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς· καὶ, Τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ὡς τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν ἑαυτὸν ἐδειγμάτισεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι μέγα κέρδος γίνεται τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ μνημονεύειν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἶπεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ηὐφράνθη ἡ καρδία μου. Αἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλαι εὐφρασίαι διὰ τοῦ στόματος εἰσέρχονται, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀφεδρῶνος μεθοδεύονται· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐφρασία, ὡς πηγὴ, μελίῤῥυτα ῥήματα τὴν καρδίαν εὐφραίνει, ὥστε λέγειν τὸν τοιοῦτον· Ὡς γλυκέα τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου; ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ μνημονεύων, πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς εὐφροσύνης