John Chrysostom, Against the Cathars

thinking himself worthy of the appellation; For I am not worthy, he says, to be called an apostle. What then is this madness? what is this arrogance? what is this insanity? Being a man, you call yourself pure, and are persuaded that you are pure, and of how much folly is this? For in saying you are pure, you do something like one who would say the sea is pure of waves. Just as that, therefore, is not lacking in waves, so too we are not lacking in sins. Or do you not know who we are, rejoicing, grieving, being rich, being poor, being insulted, being praised, being driven out and being warred against, enjoying security, being hungry, being satisfied? A myriad of passions surround the soul, a myriad of circumstances of affairs, a myriad of diseases of the body, a myriad of irregularities of affairs, and you dare to say that in a channel of so many billows you are pure? and what could be filthier than one so disposed? And why do I speak of a whole life? For will anyone be able to say, tell me, that for one day he is pure? For even if he does not fornicate, nor commit adultery, nor commit these forbidden sins, will he be able to boast that he was not vainglorious, that he was not senseless, that he did not look with licentious eyes, that he did not covet his neighbor's things, that he did not lie, that he did not devise deceit, that he did not pray against his enemies, that he did not envy his friend? But if he who loves the one who loves him, will have nothing less than the tax collector in this, of what pardon will he who also envies his friend be worthy? Drenched with so many evils, you dare to call yourself pure? But their madness will be demonstrated not from this, but also from another place; but I exhort you and your love, considering all these things, to be rid of their arrogance, and to be outside of their madness, and to try with all zeal to wipe away existing sins, and to ward off those that approach. For even if a myriad of evils surround us, if we are sober and are watchful, we will be able to obtain much defense, much pardon, and to wash away our offenses. 63.493 And how this will be, listen: if we come to church, if we groan over our offenses, if we confess our sins, if we do alms, if we show forth prayers, if we help the wronged, if we forgive the sins of our enemies, if we weep for our sins; for all these are remedies for sins. Let us prepare all these things, I beseech you, each day washing ourselves, wiping ourselves clean; and with all these things let us account ourselves wretched, saying that we are unprofitable servants; for this also is not a small form of the 63.494 expenditure of sins, that even when succeeding we imagine nothing great about ourselves, so that we may not suffer what the Pharisee suffered. If we so manage our own affairs, we will be able to obtain loving-kindness and pardon on that fearful day, and to be deemed worthy of the promised good things; of which may it be that we all enjoy, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom, and with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

τῆς προσηγορίας ἑαυτὸν ἄξιον εἶναι νομίζων· Οὐκ εἰμὶ γὰρ ἱκανὸς, φησὶ, καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος. Τίς οὖν ἡ ἀπόνοια αὕτη; τίς ἡ ἀλαζονεία; τίς ἡ μανία; ἄνθρωπος ὢν, σεαυτὸν καθαρὸν καλεῖς, καὶ πέπεισαι εἶναι καθαρός, καὶ πόσης ταῦτα ἀνοίας; Καθαρὸν γὰρ ἑαυτὸν λέγων, ὅμοιόν τι ποιεῖς, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις λέγοι τὸ πέλαγος κυμάτων εἶναι καθαρόν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνο οὐκ ἐπιλείπει τὰ κύματα, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Ἢ οὐκ οἶσθα τίνες ἐσμὲν, χαίροντες, λυπούμενοι, πλουτοῦντες, πενόμενοι, ὑβριζόμενοι, ἐπαινούμενοι, ἐλαυνόμενοι καὶ πολεμούμενοι, ἀδείας ἀπολαύοντες, πεινῶντες, κορεννύμενοι; Μυρία περιέστηκε τὴν ψυχὴν πάθη, μυρίαι πραγμάτων περιστάσεις, μυρία σώματος νοσήματα, μυρίαι πραγμάτων ἀνωμαλίαι, καὶ τολμᾷς εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἐν εὐρίπῳ σάλων τοσούτων καθαρὸς εἶ; καὶ τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ῥυπαρώτερον τοῦ οὕτω διακειμένου; Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν βίον ἅπαντα; ἡμέραν γὰρ μίαν δυνήσεταί τις εἰπεῖν, εἰπέ μοι, ὅτι καθαρός ἐστι; κἂν γὰρ μὴ πορνεύῃ, μηδὲ μοιχεύῃ, μηδὲ ταῦτα τὰ ἀπειρημένα ἁμαρτάνῃ, δυνήσεται καυχήσασθαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκενοδόξησεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπενοήθη, ὅτι οὐκ ἀκολάστοις εἶδεν ὀφθαλμοῖς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπεθύμησε τὰ τοῦ πλησίον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐψεύσατο, ὅτι δόλον οὐκ ἔῤῥαψεν, ὅτι οὐ κατηύξατο τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐβάσκηνε τῷ φίλῳ; Εἰ δὲ ὁ τὸν φιλοῦντα φιλῶν, οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἕξει τοῦ τελώνου κατὰ τοῦτο, τίνος ἔσται συγγνώμης ἄξιος ὁ καὶ τῷ φίλῳ βασκαίνων; Τοσούτοις περιαντλούμενος κακοῖς τολμᾷς σεαυτὸν καθαρὸν καλέσαι; Ἀλλ' ἐκείνων μὲν ἡ ἀπόνοια οὐ μὲν ἐντεῦθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν ἀποδειχθήσεται· ὑμᾶς δὲ παρακαλῶ καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, ταῦτα πάντα ἐννοοῦντας τῆς μὲν ἀλαζονείας αὐτῶν ἀπαλλάττεσθαι, καὶ τῆς ἀπονοίας ἐκτὸς εἶναι, πειρᾶσθαι δὲ μετὰ σπουδῆς ἁπάσης τά τε ὄντα ἁμαρτήματα ἀποσμήχειν, τά τε προσιόντα ἀποκρούεσθαι. Κἂν γὰρ μυρία ἡμᾶς περιστοιχίζηται κακὰ, ἐὰν σωφρονῶμεν καὶ ἐγρηγορότες ὦμεν, δυνησόμεθα πολλῆς ἀπολογίας τυχεῖν, πολλῆς τῆς συγγνώμης, καὶ ἀπονίψασθαι τὰ πεπλημμελημένα. 63.493 Καὶ πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο ἄκουσον· ἂν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἀπαντῶμεν, ἂν στενάζωμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπλημμελημένοις, ἂν ὁμολογῶμεν τὰ ἡμαρτημένα, ἂν ἐλεημοσύνας ποιῶμεν, ἂν εὐχὰς ἐπιδειξώμεθα, ἂν ἀδικουμένοις βοηθῶμεν, ἂν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα συγχωρῶμεν, ἂν δακρύωμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἡμαρτημένοις· ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα φάρμακα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐστί. Ταῦτα δὴ πάντα, παρακαλῶ, κατασκευάζωμεν, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐκπλύνοντες ἑαυτοὺς, ἀποσμήχοντες· καὶ μετὰ τούτων ἁπάντων ταλανίζωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, λέγοντες ἀχρείους εἶναι δούλους· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο οὐ μικρὸν εἶδος τῆς τῶν 63.494 ἁμαρτημάτων δαπάνης, τὸ καὶ κατορθοῦντας μηδὲν μέγα περὶ ἑαυτῶν φαντάζεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ πάθωμεν ἅπερ ἔπαθεν ὁ Φαρισαῖος. Ἂν οὕτω τὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οἰκονομῶμεν, δυνησόμεθα φιλανθρωπίας τυχεῖν καὶ συγγνώμης ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ φοβερᾷ, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν ἀξιωθῆναι· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ, καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.