John Chrysostom, Spiritual Admonitions

do not cease repeating to your own soul. Write this little saying in your heart; bind it about your neck. It is better than a royal diadem; the one leads to punishment, the other procures eternal life. Meditate on these things; be in these things always. If you are in these things, you will never be found in their opposites; but if you are not moved to compunction by these things, by what will your heart be captured? Because even if the day of the Lord is near, let us fear and be still. He who wishes to be blameless in deeds and words and thoughts, what else ought he to do, if not to be still always and to pray and to be silent and to despise all things on the earth? For he who wishes to accomplish this, makes himself a god upon the earth, according to him who said, Be imitators of God. Behold, we have been made children by God; what is more just than for a son to imitate his father? If you are a true child, follow your father's commands, especially as they are just and beneficial.

He who has a battle against demons, what ought he to do but pray without ceasing? he who is in danger day by day in soul and body, what else ought he to do but to struggle and beseech God? But you say, the passions tyrannize me, and fear is a tyrant. Tyrant opposes tyrant. He shakes the earth alone, and all tremble. Who does not fear the river of fire? One day of darkness is worse than all the evils in life; despise therefore the things here as inconsolable. Did someone insult you, or strike you? Hope in the Lord, for he will give you a great reward for your patience. From hope comes faith, from these comes love; for a small word and a little patience the Master grants you paradise, as an athlete he crowns you for a drink of cold water; for your faith is of great worth. Make virtue your bride, and self-control and prudence, your living children and 62.744 leading you forward to the kingdom of heaven.

When your soul rises in the morning, let it rise early to the Lord, and when it departs in the evening, let it rest upon a spiritual bed, upon pious thoughts, upon the hope of God, upon dispassion and purity; because the commandments of God are light and life and rest, blessing and righteousness; but the commands of Satan are darkness and death, punishment and sin and a curse. It is in you to follow either these or those. If you follow the commandments of the Lord, all good things are yours: light, life, rest, blessing, the crown of righteousness; but if you obey Satan, the opposites of these will meet you. What fool then chooses shame and reproach with eternal punishments, instead of glory and praise and immortal delight? Arise, hasten, run, make haste; the wedding feast is prepared, the bulls have been slaughtered, the fatted calves are ready, waiting for you, the guests at the feast, as it is written, The righteous wait for me, until you reward me. Be diligent, that you may attain it. Behold joy, behold rest, behold light, behold life, behold glory, behold delight, behold the true and eternal things, behold the great and wonderful things, behold all things as you wish, or rather, even beyond what you wish. Know only that God has made his saints wonderful, he has glorified his holy ones, he has boasted in those who fear him, he has exalted those who love him. Let us not begrudge ourselves so many good things set before us, such a hope. Others for the sake of a small gain compete, make war, sail the seas, face dangers; we who are about to inherit new heavens and a new earth, why are we discouraged. why do we hesitate, why are we being destroyed in this matter? We do all things that cause suffering, are provoking both to the body and to the soul; our luxury has no peace; sleep, walking, all are scandalous. Who has lived as he wished? What of this life is not burdensome? This flesh of ours is not at peace with us; when healthy it makes war, when sick it afflicts. Who has departed from this life without grief? who has not tasted of the salty waters of this bitter sea, of the successive

μὴ παύσῃ καταλέγων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ. Γράψον τὸ μικρὸν τοῦτο λογάριον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· δῆσον αὐτὸ περὶ τῷ σῷ τραχήλῳ. Κρεῖττόν ἐστι διαδήματος βασιλικοῦ· τοῦτο εἰς κόλασιν ἄγει, ἐκεῖνο ζωὴν αἰώνιον προξενεῖ. Ταῦτα μελέτα· ἐν τούτοις ἴσθι διαπαντός. Ἐὰν ἐν τούτοις ᾖς, ἐν τοῖς ἐναντίοις οὐχ εὑρίσκῃ ποτέ· εἰ δὲ ἐν τούτοις οὐ κατανύσσῃ, ἐν τίνι ἁλισθήσεται ἡ καρδία σου; Ὅτι κἂν ἐγγὺς ᾖ ἡμέρα Κυρίου, φοβηθῶμεν καὶ ἡσυχάσωμεν. Ὁ θέλων ἄμωμος εἶναι ἐν ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις καὶ ἐνθυμήμασι, τί ἄλλο πράττειν ὀφείλει, εἰ μὴ διαπαντὸς ἡσυχάζειν καὶ εὔχεσθαι καὶ σιωπᾷν καὶ καταφρονεῖν ἁπάντων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; Ὁ γὰρ τοῦτο θέλων κατορθῶσαι, θεὸν ἑαυτὸν ποιεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα, Γίνεσθε μιμηταὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἴδε ἐτεκνοποιήθημεν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τί δικαιότερον, ἢ υἱὸν μιμήσασθαι πατέρα; Εἰ τέκνον γνήσιον εἶ, ἀκολούθησον προστάγμασι πατρικοῖς, καὶ μάλιστα δικαίοις οὖσι καὶ ὠφελίμοις.

Ὁ ἔχων πρὸς δαίμονας μάχην, τί ὀφείλει ποιεῖν, ἢ ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθαι; ὁ καθ' ἡμέραν κινδυνεύων ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, τί ἄλλο πράττειν ὀφείλει, ἢ ἀγωνιᾷν καὶ δέεσθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἀλλὰ λέγεις, τὰ πάθη τυραννοῦσί με, καὶ ὁ φόβος τύραννός ἐστι. Τύραννος τυράννῳ ἀντιπίπτει. Σείει μόνον τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἅπαντες τρέμουσι. Τίς οὐ φοβεῖται τὸν ποταμὸν τοῦ πυρός; Μία ἡμέρα τοῦ σκότους ὑπὲρ ὅλα τὰ ἐν βίῳ κακά· καταφρόνει οὖν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ὡς ἀπαραμυθήτων. Ὕβρισέ τις, ἢ ἐτύπτησεν; ἔλπισον ἐπὶ Κύριον, ὅτι πολύν σοι παρέξει τῆς ὑπομονῆς τὸν μισθόν. Ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡ πίστις, ἀπὸ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη· ὅτι μικροῦ λόγου καὶ μικρᾶς ὑπομονῆς ὁ ∆εσπότης παράδεισόν σοι χαρίζεται, ὡς ἀθλητήν σε στέφει διὰ πόμα ψυχρόν· ἡ γὰρ πίστις σου πολλοῦ ἀξία ἐστί. Τὴν ἀρετὴν ποίησον σεαυτῷ νύμφην, καὶ ἐγκράτειαν καὶ σωφροσύνην, παῖδάς σου ζῶντας καὶ 62.744 προάγοντας εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Ἀνισταμένη τῷ πρωῒ ἡ ψυχή σου ὀρθριζέτω πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἑσπέρας ἀναχωροῦσα, ἀναπαυέσθω ἐπὶ κλίνης πνευματικῆς, ἐπὶ λογισμοῖς εὐσεβέσιν, ἐπὶ ἐλπίδι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπὶ ἀπαθείᾳ καὶ καθαρωσύνῃ· διότι τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ Θεοῦ φῶς εἰσι καὶ ζωὴ καὶ ἀνάπαυσις, εὐλογία καὶ δικαιοσύνη· τὰ δὲ ἐντάλματα τοῦ Σατανᾶ σκότος καὶ θάνατος, κόλασις καὶ ἁμαρτία καὶ κατάρα. Ἐν σοί ἐστιν ἢ τούτοις ἢ ἐκείνοις ἀκολουθῆσαι. Ἐὰν ταῖς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐντολαῖς ἀκολουθήσῃς, ὅλα σοι τὰ καλὰ πάντα, τὸ φῶς, ἡ ζωὴ, ἡ ἀνάπαυσις, ἡ εὐλογία, τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁ στέφανος· ἐὰν δὲ ταῖς τοῦ Σατανᾶ πεισθῇς, τὰ ἐναντία τούτων ἀπαντᾷ σοι. Τίς οὖν ἄφρων αἱρεῖται αἰσχύνην καὶ ὄνειδος μετὰ κολάσεων αἰωνίων, ἀντὶ δόξης καὶ ἐπαίνων καὶ ἀθανάτου τρυφῆς; Ἀνάστα, σπεῦσον, δράμε, ἐπείχθητι· ὁ γάμος ηὐτρέπισται, οἱ ταῦροι τεθυμένοι εἰσὶ, τὰ σιτιστὰ ἕτοιμά σε περιμένουσιν, οἱ ἀριστηταὶ, καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἐμὲ ὑπομενοῦσι δίκαιοι, ἕως οὗ ἀνταποδῷς μοι. Σπούδασον, ἵνα καταλάβῃς. Ἰδοὺ ἡ χαρὰ, ἰδοὺ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις, ἰδοὺ τὸ φῶς, ἰδοὺ ἡ ζωὴ, ἰδοὺ ἡ δόξα, ἰδοὺ ἡ τρυφὴ, ἰδοὺ τὰ ἀληθῆ καὶ αἰώνια, ἰδοὺ τὰ μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ, ἰδοὺ πάντα ὡς θέλεις, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ὃ θέλεις. Γνῶθι μόνον ὅτι ἐθαυμάστωσε τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ ὁ Θεὸς, ἐδόξασε τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ, ἐκαύχησε τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτὸν, ὕψωσε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας αὐτόν. Μὴ φθονήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν προκειμένων, τοιαύτης ἐλπίδος. Ἄλλοι μικροῦ κέρδους χάριν ἀθλοῦσι, πολεμοῦσι, θαλαττεύουσι, κινδυνεύουσιν· ἡμεῖς καινοὺς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ καινὴν γῆν μέλλοντες κληρονομεῖν, τί ἀθυμοῦμεν. τί διστάζομεν, τί φθειρόμεθα ἐν τῇ ὕλῃ ταύτῃ; Ὅλα τὰ πράγματα παθοποιὰ, παροξυντικὰ καὶ τῷ σώματι καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ πράττομεν· ἡ τρυφὴ ἡμῶν εἰρήνην οὐκ ἔχει· ὁ ὕπνος, τὸ βάδισμα, ὅλα σκανδαλώδη. Τίς ὡς ἠθέλησεν ἔζησε; τί τοῦ βίου τούτου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπαχθές; Αὕτη ἡ σὰρξ ἡμῶν οὐ σπένδεται ἡμῖν· ὑγιαίνουσα πολεμεῖ, ἀῤῥωστοῦσα θλίβει. Τίς ἄλυπος ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ βίου τούτου; τίς οὐκ ἐγεύσατο τῶν ἁλμυρῶν ὑδάτων τῆς πικρᾶς ταύτης θαλάσσης, τῶν ἐπαλλήλων