John Chrysostom, Sermon on Patience 1

distraction, but examination; where there is no reviling, but a defense; where one does not become rich, but shudders; where there is no partiality, but righteous judgment; where we all stand naked, slaves and free, well-born and ignoble, sinners and righteous, rich and poor; some being ashamed, others being crowned. Where there is the pomp of kings? Where the arrogance of rulers? Where the mercilessness of the rich? where the partiality of judges? where the much-vaunted beauty of youth? youth, the unfeeling, having long hopes of life; youth, the rebellious heart, the pleasure full of cares; youth, that stumbles much and often, that badly flatters the flesh; youth, that is flattered into deceit, the clay, the wretched, the grass that easily withers, the ear of corn ready to perish; youth, the easily forgotten dream, the unsubstantial shadow; youth, the godless hand, the unfeeling heart, the uplifted eye, the lamp ready to be extinguished; youth, the boiling of the blood and the habit of defilements; youth, the unruly horse and fit for every destruction. Yet he who is pompous here, is pitiable there; he who gets drunk here, there is in need of a drop of water; he who here is ready to revile, there has his tongue aflame; he who here is clothed in silken garments, there stands naked.

Do not say to me: Give me today, and take tomorrow; for I do not consider who you are here, but I await you there, where you are. Do not say to me: God is merciful, even if I sin, he suffers with me; but see this also, that here he shows mercy, there he examines; here he overlooks, there he investigates; here he awaits conversion, there he delivers to the fire. Where is the wise man there, brethren? where the potentate; where the turmoil? where the costly feasts? where the dinners? where are those who drink wine with timbrels and dances? where the parasitism and the theaters, and this while our brothers are hungry and thirsty, are unfortunate and suffering, are naked, weeping, longing for death, and seeking it out of despair? Alas! the cup that is dreadful to all becomes desirable to those in need, and the life that is longed for by all has become hated by them, and this light that is desirable to us has become abominable to them! Blessed be God who works all things for our benefit. Death is not evil, O brethren, but also beneficial. The saying is not mine: Death is a rest for a man, the divine Job declared; because he who has died is justified from sin, and has ceased from the covetousness of life, and has stopped adding evil to evil, and has given up increasing his burden, and has rested from provoking his God. Listen with understanding: death is a comfort to infants, death is a release to slaves, a refreshment for those who labor, a payment for debtors; death is a release for the anxious, a visitation for the afflicted; death is an obstacle to sin. If death were not set before us, we would have devoured one another; if we did not have a judge coming, we would not have hope of life; if we did not expect punishment, we would in no way cease from evil things, nor would we put off the corruption from transgression. Have you seen the Master's love for mankind? The penalty from transgression has become salvation.

For if the one who died is righteous, rejoice, because he goes with confidence to the Master in repose; but if he is also a sinner, do not grieve; for he has gained for himself what evils he was about to add. If then we were to remain here, we would justly weep for the dead; but if we are all certainly going there, let us not lament so for those who have gone a little before us; let us not, by the evil things we practice, undo those things which we perform well for the dead. Do you not see what we do for those who have gone before? We send them forth with psalms and hymns, by this signifying our thanksgiving to the Master; and we clothe them in new garments, prefiguring the new garment of our incorruptibility. We pour on myrrh and oil, and an anointing of the

περισπασμὸς, ἀλλ' ἐξετασμός· ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι λοιδορία, ἀλλὰ ἀπολογία· ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι πλουτῆσαι, ἀλλὰ φρῖξαι· ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι προσωποληψία. ἀλλὰ δικαιοκρισία· ὅπου πάντες γυμνοὶ παριστάμεθα, δοῦλοι καὶ ἐλεύθεροι, εὐγενεῖς καὶ ἄδοξοι, ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ δίκαιοι, πλούσιοι καὶ πένητες· οἱ μὲν αἰσχυνόμενοι, οἱ δὲ στεφανούμενοι. Ποῦ ἐκεῖ τῶν βασιλέων ἡ φαντασία; Ποῦ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἡ ὑπερηφανία; Ποῦ τῶν πλουτούντων ἡ ἀσπλαγχνία; ποῦ τῶν δικαζόντων ἡ προσωποληψία; ποῦ τὸ κάλλος τῆς νεότητος τὸ πολυφάνταστον; νεότης, ἡ ἀναίσθητος, ἡ μακρὰς ἐλπίδας ζωῆς ἔχουσα· νεότης, ἡ στασιώδης καρδία, ἡ πολυμέριμνος ἡδονή· νεότης, ἡ πολλὰ καὶ πολλάκις συμπίπτουσα, ἡ κακῶς τὴν σάρκα κολακεύουσα· νεότης, ἡ πρὸς ἀπάτην κολακευομένη, ἡ πηλὸς, ἡ ταλαίπωρος, ὁ χόρτος ὁ εὐμάραντος, ὁ στάχυς ὁ ἑτοιμόφθορος· νεότης, τὸ ἐνύπνιον τὸ εὐληθάργητον, ἡ σκιὰ ἡ ἀνυπόστατος· νεότης, ἡ ἄθεος κεῖρα, ἡ ἄπονος καρδία, ὁ ἀνατεταμένος ὀφθαλμὸς, ὁ λύχνος ὁ ἑτοιμόσβεστος· νεότης, ὁ βρασμὸς τῶν αἱμάτων καὶ συνήθεια τῶν σπιλωμάτων· νεότης, ὁ δυσήνιος ἵππος καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐξολόθρευσιν ἐπιτήδειος. Ὅμως ὁ ἐνταῦθα σοβαρὸς, ἐκεῖ ἐλεεινός· ὁ ἐνταῦθα μεθυσκόμενος, ἐκεῖ σταγόνος ὕδατος δεόμενος· ὁ ὧδε πρὸς λοιδορίαν ἕτοιμος, ἐκεῖ τὴν γλῶσσαν φλεγόμενος· ὁ ὧδε σηρικοῖς ἱματίοις ἀμφιεζόμενος, ἐκεῖ γυμνὸς παριστάμενος.

Μή μοι λέγε· ∆ός μοι τὴν σήμερον, καὶ λάβε τὴν αὔριον· οὐ γὰρ ὧδέ σε σκοπῶ, τίς εἶ, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ σε προσδοκῶ, ποῦ εἶ. Μή μοι λέγε· Φιλάνθρωπος ὁ Θεὸς, κἂν ἁμαρτήσω, συμπάσχει μοι· ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνο βλέπε, ὅτι ὧδε ἐλεεῖ, ἐκεῖ ἐτάζει· ὧδε παρορᾷ, ἐκεῖ ἐρευνᾷ· ὧδε ἐκδέχεται τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν, ἐκεῖ παραδίδωσι τῷ πυρί. Ποῦ σοφὸς ἐκεῖ, ἀδελφοί; ποῦ δυνάστης· ποῦ ἡ ταραχή; ποῦ τὰ ἄριστα τὰ πολυτελῆ; ποῦ τὰ δεῖπνα; ποῦ οἱ μετὰ τυμπάνων καὶ χορῶν τὸν οἶνον πίνοντες; ποῦ ἡ παρασιτία καὶ τὰ θέατρα, καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν πεινώντων καὶ διψώντων, δυστυχούντων καὶ κακοπαθούντων, γυμνητευόντων, δακρυόντων, τὸν θάνατον ἐπιποθούντων, καὶ τοῦτον ἐξ ἀθυμίας ἐπιζητούντων; Βαβαί! τὸ ποτήριον τὸ πᾶσι φρικτὸν γίνεται τοῖς ἐν ἀνάγκῃ ἐπιθυμητὸν, καὶ ὁ βίος ὁ παρὰ πᾶσι ποθούμενος γέγονε παρ' ἐκείνοις μισούμενος, καὶ τὸ φῶς τοῦτο τὸ παρ' ἡμῖν ποθητὸν γέγονε παρ' ἐκείνοις βδελυκτόν! Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ πάντα πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἐργαζόμενος. Οὐ πονηρὸς, ὦ ἀδελφοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφέλιμος ὁ θάνατος. Οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος· Θάνατος ἀνδρὶ ἀνάπαυσις, ὁ θεῖος Ἰὼβ διηγόρευσεν· ὅτι ὁ ἀποθανὼν δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ πέπαυται τῆς τοῦ βίου πλεονεξίας, καὶ ἔπαυσε τοῦ προσθεῖναι κακὸν τῷ κακῷ, καὶ ἐνέδωκε τοῦ ἐπαύξειν τὸ φορτίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἠρέμησε τοῦ μὴ παροργίζειν τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἄκουε συνετῶς· θάνατος νηπίοις παράκλησις, θάνατος δούλοις ἄνεσις, κοπιώντων ἀνάψυξις, χρεωστούντων πλήρωσις· θάνατος μεριμνώντων λύσις, καταπονουμένων ἐπίσκεψις· θάνατος ἁμαρτίας ἐμπόδιον. Εἰ μὴ ὁ θάνατος προέκειτο, ἑαυτοὺς ἂν κατησθίομεν· εἰ μὴ κριτὴν ἐρχόμενον εἴχομεν, ζωῆς ἐλπίδα οὐκ ἂν εἴχομεν· εἰ μὴ κόλασιν ἐξεδεχόμεθα, οὐδαμῶς τῶν κακῶν ἐπαυόμεθα, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐκ παραβάσεως φθορὰν ἀπετιθέμεθα. Εἶδες ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν; Τὸ ἐκ παραβάσεως ἐπιτίμιον γέγονε σωτήριον.

Εἰ μὲν γὰρ δίκαιος ὁ θανὼν, χαῖρε, διότι θαῤῥῶν πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐν ἀνέσει πορεύεται· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς, μὴ λυποῦ· ἐκέρδησε γὰρ ἑαυτῷ, ἃ προσθεῖναι ἔμελλε κακά. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἡμεῖς ἐνταῦθα ἐμένομεν, δικαίως ἂν τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἐκλαίομεν· εἰ δὲ πάντες πάντως ἐκεῖ πορευόμεθα, μὴ οὕτω τοὺς μικρὸν προλαβόντας ὀδυρώμεθα· μὴ τὰ, ἅπερ καλῶς ἐπὶ τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἐπιτελοῦμεν, ταῦτα δι' ὧν κακῶς ἐπιτηδεύομεν, καταργῶμεν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τί ἐπὶ τοῖς προλαβοῦσι πράττομεν; Ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις αὐτοὺς προπέμπομεν, διὰ τοῦτο τὴν πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην εὐχαριστίαν σημαίνοντες· καὶ καινοῖς ἱματίοις αὐτοὺς ἀμφιέζομεν, τὸ καινὸν ἔνδυμα τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἡμῶν προμηνύοντες. Μύρον καὶ ἔλαιον ἐπιχέομεν, καὶ χρίσμα τοῦ