John Chrysostom, Do Not Despair

51.366 To pray for our enemies. And for those who grieve us much. And if we do not do this, we shall surely perish; and this is clear from the example of the Pharisee. For if he, not having cursed his enemies, but only having been vainglorious, paid so great a penalty, what punishment awaits those who utter long and many words against their enemies? What are you doing, O man? You stand asking for pardon for your sins, and you fill your mind with anger? When we ought to be gentler than all, conversing with the Master, beseeching for our own transgressions, asking for mercy and loving-kindness and pardon, then do we become savage, and fall into beastliness, and fill our mouth with bitterness? And how shall we be able, tell me, to attain salvation, presenting the appearance of suppliants, but bearing the words of despair, and provoking the Master against ourselves? You entered to heal your own wounds, not to make your neighbor's worse; it is a time for propitiation, a time for prayer and groaning, not for wrath; of tears, not of anger, of compunction, not of indignation. Why do you confound the order? Why do you war against yourself? Why do you destroy your own building? The one who prays must, before all else, have a gentle disposition, a calm mind, a contrite heart; but he who cries out against his enemies could never accomplish this; for he is filled with anger, and is not able to have a calm mind.

Let us not, then, pray against our enemies, nor let us remember our own good deeds, lest we suffer what the Pharisee did. For just as it is good to remember sins, so it is good to forget good deeds. For what reason? Because the memory of good deeds lifts us up to arrogance, but the memory of sins calms the mind and humbles it; and the former makes us more careless, while the latter makes us more zealous. For those who think they have nothing good become more eager to acquire what is good; but those who consider that they have stored up for themselves much merchandise, trusting in its abundance, would not show much zeal to acquire more again. 3. Do not, therefore, remember your good deeds, so that God may remember them. For, He says, declare your sins first, that you may be justified. And again: I will not remember your iniquities, He says; but you remember them. But why did God hear the publican so quickly, yet leave Isaac for twenty years to pray and beseech Him concerning his wife, and only then did He grant the prayers of the just man? For it is necessary to give you the remains of yesterday's teaching. For what reason, then, did this happen? So that from the case of the publican you might learn the loving-kindness of the Master who heard quickly, and from the case of Isaac you might learn the patience of the servant who received slowly, and did not desist from supplication; so that, if you are a sinner, 51.367 you may not despair, and if you are righteous, you may not be puffed up. Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. The publican was sick; for this reason He quickly stretched out a hand to him; but Isaac was stronger, and for this reason He left him, that He might increase his patience. But let this word have been spoken by us in abundance. But for what reason the wife was barren, it is necessary to say, so that, when you see a Virgin becoming a mother, you may not disbelieve; so that, when the Jew says to you, How did Mary give birth? you may say to him, How did Sarah give birth, and Rebecca, and Rachel? For whenever a wondrous and great miracle is about to happen, many types run before it. And just as when a king enters, soldiers run before, so that they might not receive the king suddenly and unprepared; so also when a marvelous miracle is about to happen, types run before, so that we, having premeditated, might not be suddenly astounded, nor be beside ourselves at the marvel of what is happening. This also in the case of death. Jonah ran before, and trained our minds. For just as him after three days

51.366 Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὔχεσθαι. καὶ τῶν πολλὰ λυπούντων. Κἂν μὴ τοῦτο ποιῶμεν, ἀπολλύμεθα πάντως· καὶ δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ παραδείγματος τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Φαρισαῖον. Εἰ γὰρ οὗτος, οὐχὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν κατευξάμενος, ἀλλὰ κενοδοξήσας μόνον, τοσαύτην ἔδωκε δίκην, τίς μένει τιμωρία τοὺς μακροὺς καὶ πολλοὺς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀποτείνοντας λόγους; Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; ἕστηκας συγγνώμην αἰτῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ θυμοῦ πληροῖς τὴν διάνοιαν; Ὅτε πάντων ἡμερωτέρους εἶναι χρὴ, ∆εσπότῃ διαλεγομένους, ὑπὲρ οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων παρακαλοῦντας, ἔλεον καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ συγγνώμην αἰτοῦντας, τότε ἀγριούμεθα, καὶ πρὸς θηριωδίαν ἐκπίπτομεν, καὶ πικρίας τὸ στόμα πληροῦμεν; Καὶ πῶς δυνησόμεθα, εἰπέ μοι, τῆς σωτηρίας ἐπιτυχεῖν, σχῆμα μὲν ἱκετῶν προβαλλόμενοι, ῥήματα δὲ ἀπονοίας φέροντες, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν παροξύνοντες τὸν ∆εσπότην; Εἰσῆλθες τὰ οἰκεῖα θεραπεῦσαι τραύματα, οὐχὶ τὰ τοῦ πλησίον χαλεπώτερα ἐργάσασθαι· ἱλασμοῦ καιρός ἐστιν, εὐχῆς καιρὸς καὶ στεναγμοῦ, οὐχὶ ὀργῆς· δακρύων, οὐχὶ θυμοῦ, κατανύξεως, οὐχὶ ἀγανακτήσεως. Τί συγχέεις τὴν τάξιν; τί σαυτῷ πολεμεῖς; τί καταλύεις σου τὴν οἰκοδομήν; Τὸν εὐχόμενον πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἥμερον ἔχειν χρὴ διάνοιαν, κατεσταλμένον νοῦν, συντετριμμένην καρδίαν· ὁ δὲ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καταβοῶν οὐκ ἂν δυνηθείη τοῦτο κατορθῶσαί ποτε· θυμοῦ γάρ ἐστι πεπληρωμένος, καὶ οὐχ οἷός τέ ἐστιν ἔχειν κατεσταλμένην διάνοιαν.

Μὴ τοίνυν κατευχώμεθα τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τῶν κατορθωμάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων μνημονεύωμεν, ἵνα μὴ πάθωμεν ὅπερ ὁ Φαρισαῖος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἁμαρτημάτων μεμνῆσθαι, καλὸν, οὕτω κατορθωμάτων ἐπιλελῆσθαι, καλόν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὅτι ἡ μὲν τῶν κατορθωμάτων μνήμη πρὸς ἀλαζονείαν ἡμᾶς ἐπαίρει, ἡ δὲ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μνήμη καταστέλλει τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ταπεινοῖ· καὶ ἐκείνη μὲν ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ποιεῖ, αὕτη δὲ σπουδαιοτέρους ἐργάζεται. Καὶ γὰρ ὅσοι μηδὲν νομίζουσιν ἔχειν καλὸν, προθυμότεροι γίνονται πρὸς τὸ κτήσασθαι τὰ καλά· οἱ δὲ πολλὴν ἑαυτοῖς ἀποτεθεῖσθαι τὴν ἐμπορίαν ἡγούμενοι, θαῤῥοῦντες τῇ ταύτης περιουσίᾳ, οὐκ ἂν πολλὴν ἐπιδείξαιντο σπουδὴν πρὸς τὸ πλείονα περιλαβέσθαι πάλιν. γʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν μνησθῇς τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ἵνα μνησθῇ αὐτῶν ὁ Θεός. Λέγε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου πρῶτος, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ τῶν ἀνομιῶν σου, φησί· σὺ δὲ μνήσθητι. Ἀλλὰ τίνος ἕνεκεν τοῦ τελώνου οὕτω ταχέως ἐπήκουσεν ὁ Θεὸς, τὸν δὲ Ἰσαὰκ ἀφῆκεν εἴκοσιν ἔτη δέεσθαι καὶ παρακαλεῖν αὐτὸν περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τότε ἐπένευσε ταῖς εὐχαῖς τοῦ δικαίου; Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τῆς χθὲς διδασκαλίας ἀποδοῦναι ὑμῖν τὰ λείψανα. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τοῦτο γέγονεν; Ἵνα ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν κατὰ τὸν τελώνην μάθῃς τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου ταχέως ἐπακούσαντος, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ μάθῃς τὴν ὑπομονὴν τοῦ δούλου βραδέως λαβόντος, καὶ οὐκ ἀποστάντος τῆς ἱκετηρίας· ἵνα, κἂν ἁμαρτωλὸς ᾖς, 51.367 μὴ ἀπογνῷς, κἂν δίκαιος ᾖς, μὴ ἐπαρθῇς. Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. Κακῶς εἶχεν ὁ τελώνης· διὰ τοῦτο ταχέως αὐτῷ ὤρεξε χεῖρα· ὁ δὲ Ἰσαὰκ ἰσχυρότερος ἦν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν εἴασεν, ἵνα αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπομονὴν ἐπιτείνῃ. Ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν ἐκ περιουσίας ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος εἰρήσθω. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἡ γυνὴ στεῖρα ἦν, ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν, ἵν', ὅταν ἴδῃς Παρθένον μητέρα γινομένην, μὴ ἀπιστήσῃς· ἵν', ὅταν εἴπῃ σοι ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, Πῶς ἔτεκεν ἡ Μαρία; εἴπῃς αὐτῷ, Πῶς ἔτεκεν ἡ Σάῤῥα, καὶ ἡ Ῥεβέκκα, καὶ ἡ Ῥαχήλ; Ὅτανγὰρ μέλλῃ τι θαυμαστὸν καὶ μέγα γίνεσθαι θαῦμα, πολλοὶ προτρέχουσι τύποι. Καὶ καθάπερ βασιλέως εἰσιόντος, προτρέχουσι στρατιῶται, ὥστε μὴ ἀθρόον ἀπαρασκευάστως δέξασθαι τὸν βασιλέα· οὕτω καὶ θαύματος μέλλοντος γίνεσθαι παραδόξου, προτρέχουσι τύποι, ὥστε ἡμᾶς προμελετήσαντας μὴ καταπλαγῆναι ἀθρόον, μηδὲ ἐκστῆναι τῷ παραδόξῳ τοῦ γινομένου. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θανάτου. Προέδραμεν Ἰωνᾶς, καὶ ἐγύμνασεν ἡμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας