John Chrysostom, On Sunday Fasting Fifth of Lent

He foretells its death, not so that they might flee from the city, but so that they might repent in the city, so that they might be stirred up and become more zealous for the word. He did not say: Fast, and I will save you; he did not declare: Repent, and you will be shown mercy; but he hid his love for humanity, and preached severity, so that no one might say: He compelled them to fast or to repent, and to worship God. And what is from compulsion is not well-pleasing; For not out of grief, nor out of compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. Yet three days, and Nineveh will be overthrown. The threat is brief, a harsh deadline at their heels. What have you come to do? from what refuges to leap? shall I set a strong army against the one who speaks? who is he who replies against God? True is the one who speaks. But if it is God who threatens, they say among themselves: What escape from the evil shall we find? In what war shall we be arrayed? who will become the champion of our souls? who will persuade God to cease his anger against all? what advocate shall we send to God to reconcile us to peace? We are all sinners; being enemies of God we are not heard. What shall we do? Where shall we flee from the face of the Lord? Come, let us run to fasting, O men of Nineveh, says the king, and let us spread ashes beneath us, and let the sheep and the oxen not graze, nor drink; and let us see, if God will have mercy on us. Having considered these things, the Ninevites, and having undertaken a fast, like a very sharp arrow, and having prepared prayer, like fragrant incense, having brought down tears of repentance like rivers of waters, and each having turned from their evil way, they besought God to be reconciled in peace. The three days of the fast ascended to the heavens, they drew near to the Master, they received salvation from him. He granted life to all, to men and to beasts. Repentance shone forth, and fasting. See that you do not despise the creature, but draw near, be watchful, and produce in it the fruit of piety. Let us all pray with one accord, therefore, that we too may be delivered from the impending wrath, and may attain the kingdom of the heavens, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power, for ever and ever. Amen.

τούτου προλέγει τὸν θάνατον, οὐχ ἵνα φύγωσιν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλ' ἵνα μετανοήσωσιν ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἵνα διεγερθῶσι καὶ σπουδαιότεροι γένωνται πρὸς τὸν λόγον. Οὐκ εἶπε· Νηστεύσατε, καὶ σώζω ὑμᾶς· οὐκ ἐδήλωσε· Μετανοήσατε, καὶ ἐλεηθήσεσθε· ἀλλ' ἔκρυψε τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ ἐκήρυξε τὴν ἀποτομίαν, ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ· Ἠνάγκασεν αὐτοὺς νηστεῦσαι ἢ μετανοῆσαι, καὶ Θεὸν σέβειν. Καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀνάγκης οὐκ ἔστιν εὐαπόδεκτον· Οὐ γὰρ ἐκ λύπης, οὐδ' ἐξ ἀνάγκης· ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεός. Ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι, καὶ Νινευῒ καταστραφήσεται. Σύντομος ἡ ἀπειλὴ, ἄδικος προθεσμία κατὰ πόδας. Τί ἥκεις ποιῆσαι; ἐκ ποίων κόλπων πηδῆσαι; στρατόπεδον ἰσχυρὸν ἀντιστήσω καὶ λέγοντι; τίς πρὸς Θεὸν ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος; ἀψευδὴς ὁ λαλῶν. Ἀλλ' εἰ Θεὸς ὁ ἀπειλῶν, λέγουσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς· Τίνα φυγὴν τοῦ κακοῦ εὑρήσομεν; ἐν ποίῳ παραταξόμεθα πολέμῳ; τίς πρόμαχος γενήσεται ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν; τίς δυσωπήσει τὸν Θεὸν κατὰ πάντων παῦσαι τὴν ὀργήν; ποῖον παρακλήτορα πέμψομεν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καταλλάξαι εἰς εἰρήνην; Ἡμεῖς πάντες ἁμαρτωλοὶ τυγχάνομεν· ἐχθροὶ ὄντες τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ εἰσακουόμεθα. Τί ποιῶμεν; ποῦ φύγωμεν ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου; ∆εῦτε, δράμωμεν πρὸς νηστείαν, ὦ ἄνδρες Νινευῗται, λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ σποδὸν ὑποστρωσώμεθα, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα καὶ οἱ βόες μὴ νεμέσθωσαν, μηδὲ πινέτωσαν· καὶ ἴδωμεν, εἰ ἐλεήσει ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός. Ταῦτα λογισάμενοι οἱ Νινευῗται, καὶ ποιήσαντες νηστείαν, ὡς ὀξύτατον βέλος, καὶ προσευχὴν ἑτοιμάσαντες, ὡς θυμίαμα εὐῶδες, δάκρυα μετανοίας, ὡς ποταμοὺς ὑδάτων καταγαγόντες, καὶ ὑποστρέψαντες ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτῶν τῆς πονηρᾶς, ἐδυσώπησαν τὸν Θεὸν εἰς εἰρήνην καταλλάξαι. Αἱ τρεῖς ἡμέραι τῆς νηστείας ἀνῆλθον εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, ἤγγισαν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ἔλαβον παρ' αὐτοῦ σωτηρίαν. Ἐχαρίσατο πᾶσι ζωὴν, ἀνθρώποις καὶ κτήνεσιν. Ἡ μετάνοια ἔλαμψε, καὶ ἡ νηστεία. Ὅρα μὴ καταφρονῇς τοῦ κτίσματος, ἀλλὰ πρόσελθε, γρηγόρησον, καὶ ποίησον εἰς αὐτὸν καρπὸν εὐσεβείας. Εὐξώμεθα οὖν ὁμοθυμαδὸν πάντες, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς ῥυσθῶμεν τῆς ἐπικειμένης ὀργῆς, καὶ ἐπιτύχωμεν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.