John Chrysostom, On Prayer

and now are you ashamed? O what a Master, good man, we have, and we are negligent and do not turn back? Christ advises, Do not steal, do not fornicate, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself; become gentle, good, merciful, long-suffering; become peaceable, tranquil, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of heaven; and there is no one who understands, no one who obeys, no one who pays attention, but we are all lazy. But the devil advises the opposite, saying: Become an adulterer, murder, perjure, steal, become inhuman, blasphemous, unmerciful, pitiless, a corrupter; become a lover of money, a hater of mankind, or rather a hater of God; become wicked, a wrongdoer, covetous; become a robber, a slanderer, a myth-teller, a reviler, a perjurer. And we know how many of us obey who do such things; for just as slaves with their hands and feet bound, so we run and are subject to nature.

Behold, we have spent all our youth with demons; behold, we have grown old, and we have become accustomed to sins. We are not able to do good, so that we may obtain the kingdom of heaven; but the devil provides the fire and the eternal punishment, and we run to the devil. What shall we do for you, man? what do you want? what do you desire? to be with Christ, or to be with demons? Do you desire to be with Christ? then for the future cease from living in luxury, cease from being wasteful, cease from fornicating, cease from stealing, cease from getting drunk, cease from seizing what belongs to others, cease from mocking, from lying, from being puffed up. Let no one deceive you; for no one of such a kind will enter into the kingdom of heaven. But if you desire to be with 62.740 demons, if you desire to enter the Gehenna of fire, then do as you wish, live as you will, there is no one to hinder you; enjoy the world, and its shameful desires, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, incontinence, and every demonic pleasure; there is no one to impede you. For the Gospels do not persuade you, the law does not chasten you, the prophets do not command you, the apostles do not shame you, the admonitions of the fathers do not profit you, the company of brothers does not turn you away; you have become altogether shameless, you have taken on the appearance of a prostitute. Therefore, receive your good things in your life; but there, do not expect either salvation or an inheritance in the coming day of Christ. For the hour will escape you then, when you stand naked and with your neck bared at the judgment seat of Christ, made a spectacle to angels and men. There you will appear as you are; there all your injustice will be exposed; God is not mocked; and then you will hear that painful voice: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Who then will not mourn for such a person? who will not weep for him who for temporary enjoyment is eternally tormented?

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked; for it is written that Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor revilers, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor the unjust, nor the effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor idolaters, nor blasphemers, nor lovers of money, nor anyone of that kind has an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. Considering all these things, brothers, let us abstain from such evil deeds, and let us not be slow to repent with all our souls, so that we may both flee from the wrath to come, and attain the heavenly and eternal good things; which may it be granted for us all to obtain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

καὶ ἄρτι αἰσχύνῃ; Ὢ ποῖον, ἀγαθὲ, ∆εσπότην ἔχοντες καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀμελοῦμεν καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστρέφομεν; Ὁ Χριστὸς συμβουλεύει, Μὴ κλέψῃς, μὴ πορνεύσῃς, μὴ μοιχεύσῃς, μὴ φονεύσῃς, μὴ ψευδομαρτυρήσῃς, τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀγάπα· γενοῦ ἥμερος, ἀγαθὸς, ἐλεήμων, μακρόθυμος· γενοῦ ἄμαχος, εἰρηνικὸς, ἵνα καταξιωθῇς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ οὐδείς ἐστιν ὁ συνιὼν, οὐδεὶς ὁ ὑπακούων, οὐδεὶς ὁ προσέχων, ἀλλὰ πάντες ῥᾳθυμοῦμεν. Συμβουλεύει δὲ ὁ διάβολος τὰ ἐναντία, λέγων· Γενοῦ μοιχὸς, φόνευσον, ἐπιόρκησον, κλέψον, γενοῦ ἀπάνθρωπος, βλάσφημος, ἀνελεήμων, ἄσπλαγχνος, φθορεύς· γενοῦ φιλάργυρος, μισάνθρωπος, μᾶλλον δὲ μισόθεος· γενοῦ πανοῦργος, ἀδικητὴς, πλεονέκτης· γενοῦ ἅρπαξ, κατάλαλος, μυθολόγος, λοίδορος, ἐπίορκος. Καὶ οἴδαμεν ὅσοι τὰ τοιαῦτα πράττοντες ὑπακούομεν· ὅτι ὥσπερ δοῦλοι δεδεμένοι χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, οὕτω τρέχομεν καὶ ὑποτασσόμεθα τὴν φύσιν.

Ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς πᾶσαν τὴν νεότητα ἡμῶν μετὰ δαιμόνων ἀνηλώσαμεν· ἰδοὺ ἐγηράσαμεν, καὶ συνειθίσαμεν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις. Τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρᾶξαι μὲν οὐ δυνάμεθα, ὅπως τύχωμεν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὁ δὲ διάβολος προξενεῖ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὴν κόλασιν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἡμεῖς πρὸς τὸν διάβολον τρέχομεν. Τί σοι ποιήσομεν, ἄνθρωπε; τί θέλεις; τί ἐπιθυμεῖς; τὸ εἶναι μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἢ τὸ εἶναι μετὰ τῶν δαιμόνων; Ἐπιθυμεῖς εἶναι μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; κἂν τοῦ λοιποῦ παῦσαι τοῦ τρυφᾷν, παῦσαι τοῦ σπαταλᾷν, παῦσαι τοῦ πορνεύειν, παῦσαι τοῦ κλέπτειν, παῦσαι τοῦ μεθύσασθαι, παῦσαι τοῦ ἁρπάζειν τὰ ἀλλότρια, παῦσαι τοῦ καταγελᾷν, τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι, τοῦ μετεωρίζεσθαι. Μηδείς σε ἀπατάτω· οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπιθυμεῖς τοῦ εἶναι μετὰ 62.740 τῶν δαιμόνων, εἰ τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς εἰσελθεῖν, κἂν πράττῃς ὡς θέλεις, πολιτεύου ὡς βούλῃ, ὁ κωλύων οὐδείς· ἀπόλαβε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τὰς αἰσχρὰς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτοῦ, τὴν πορνείαν, μοιχείαν, μέθην, ἀκρασίαν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν δαιμονικήν· ὁ ἐμποδίζων οὐδείς. Σὲ γὰρ Εὐαγγέλια οὐ πείθει, νόμος οὐ σωφρονίζει, προφῆται οὐκ ἐπισκήπτουσιν, ἀπόστολοι οὐ δυσωποῦσι, πατέρων νουθεσίαι οὐκ ὠφελοῦσι, συνοδία ἀδελφῶν οὐκ ἀποτρέπει· ἀπανῃσχύντησας πάντως, ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι. Λοιπὸν ἀπόλαβε τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου· ἐκεῖ μὲν οὖν μηδὲ σωτηρίαν, μηδὲ κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡμέρᾳ μὴ προσδόκησον. Ἐκφεύξεταί σοι γὰρ τότε ἡ ὥρα, ὅταν γυμνὸς καὶ τετραχηλισμένος παραστήσῃ τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐπὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων θεατριζόμενος. Ἐκεῖ φανήσῃ, οἷος εἶ· ἐκεῖ ἐλεγχθήσεταί σου πᾶσα ἡ ἀδικία· ὁ Θεὸς οὐ χλευάζεται· καὶ τότε ἀκούσεις τῆς ὀδυνηρᾶς ἐκείνης φωνῆς· ∆ήσατε αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, καὶ ἐκβάλλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Τίς λοιπὸν οὐ θρηνήσει τὸν τοιοῦτον; τίς οὐ κλαύσει τὸν διὰ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν πρόσκαιρον αἰωνίως βασανιζόμενον;

Μὴ πλανᾶσθε; Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται· γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Οὔτε πόρναι, οὔτε μοιχοὶ, οὔτε λοίδοροι, οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὔτε μέθυσοι, οὔτε ἄδικοι, οὔτε μαλακοὶ, οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται, οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι, οὔτε βλάσφημοι, οὔτε φιλάργυροι, οὔτε τις τῶν τοιούτων ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ταῦτα πάντα ἐννοοῦντες, ἀδελφοὶ, τῶν τοιούτων πονηρῶν πράξεων ἀπεχώμεθα, καὶ ἐξ ὅλων τῶν ψυχῶν μετανοῆσαι μὴ βραδύνωμεν, ἵνα καὶ φύγωμεν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς, καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων καὶ αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἐφικώμεθα· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.